WORLD

CITIES
C U LT U R E

REPORT
MAYOR OF LONDON
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World Cities Culture Report 2014

Mayors foreword

I am thrilled to be launching the World Cities Culture

Report 2014 the most comprehensive report of
its kind ever written. The line up of cities involved
is extraordinary: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bogot, Buenos
Aires, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London,
Los Angeles, Madrid, Montral, Moscow, Mumbai,
New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Seoul,
Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and
Toronto. These cities have come together not only
to examine, but to champion the importance of
culture in world cities.
The first version of this report brought together
twelve cities and was launched at a summit in
London held at the same time as the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games a choice that was entirely
deliberate. Out of the inaugural event in London
was born the World Cities Culture Forum a fitting
legacy for the London Games.
Following the London Games, I wrote to my
counterparts in cities across the world, inviting them
to join this new Forum.
The response has been overwhelming. The
Forum now boasts 27 members from across the world,
with more cities lined up to join in 2015. This new
version of the report includes 12 of the additional
cities who have joined us since the first World Cities
Culture Summit.
Why has there been so much interest from cities?
Perhaps it is because no one would ever want to live
in a city without culture? Perhaps it is because culture
is the fuel that drives the urban metropolis? Perhaps
it is because artists, literary thinkers, designers
and directors feed our souls and our imaginations,
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The Olympic Rings on Londons River Thames at Tower Bridge Photo: Kois Miah

offering both a mirror and a chance to escape?

This report shows that the dynamism, scale and
diversity of our world cities make us central hubs
in global culture. We are able to support a range
and depth of cultural activity that other cities cannot
match, which means in turn that we, more than other
places, are able to harness the power of culture to
contribute to wider social and economic goals.
Through this project, we have discovered that
our cities have more in common than we might have
thought, and that culture is critical to our success.
It is central to how we address future challenges
whether it is the role of the creative industries in
driving jobs and growth in Seoul or Buenos Aires,
bridging communities in Rio de Janeiro or Toronto,
or maintaining the international reputation of
New York.
I would like to thank the London Cultural
Strategy Group for generously supporting the project,
and BOP Consulting, the project consultants and
co-ordinators, for drawing together such a compelling
picture about the importance of culture in our cities.
Culture is what makes each of us unique. It is
what gives us our distinct flavour. It is hugely exciting
that cities are coming together in this new way
and I anticipate a bright future for the World Cities
Culture Forum.
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
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World Cities Culture Forum

The World Cities Culture Forum was founded in 2012

by London, New York, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney,
Johannesburg, and Istanbul. The Forum builds on the
World Cities Culture Report initiative set up by the
Mayor of London.
It has quickly emerged as a powerful new voice in
the global cultural policy debate and now includes
27 members from around the world. The organisation
provides its members with the opportunity to discuss
and examine culture at a city-to-city level. The
World Cities Culture Forum is intended to become
the cultural equivalent of the G20 for world cities.
It aims to:

highlight the critical contribution of culture to

The Forum programme includes:

an online platform for sharing and disseminating

data, information and effective practice
(www.worldcitiescultureforum.com)
an annual summit, hosted on a rotating basis
by member cities
a World Cities Culture Report published every
three years as a compendium of data and analysis
an ongoing series of collaborative research and
policy events and publications.
For a detailed description of the Forums
20122014 events, including the participants,
please see Appendix 2.

the economic and social success of world cities

build an evidence base about the many and
wide-ranging ways in which culture impacts
on a world city and its inhabitants
foster learning from each other by examining
common challenges and dilemmas and
comparing approaches to cultural investment
and development
define a future cultural research agenda for
world cities.

opposite: The ArcelorMittal Orbit, a unique fusion of art, architecture

and engineering, conceived by Anish Kapoor/Cecil Balmond and funded
by ArcelorMittal to provide an iconic new addition to Londons skyline
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Photo: London Legacy Development Corporation

Executive summary

World Cities Culture Report 2014 cities:

Amsterdam, Berlin, Bogot, Buenos Aires, Hong
Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los
Angeles, Madrid, Montral, Moscow, Mumbai,
New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Seoul,
Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo
and Toronto

The World Cities Culture Report 2014 is a major global

initiative on culture and the future of cities, set up by
the Mayor of London. It is a celebration
of world cities as crucibles of human creativity
and endeavour. From ancient Athens, Renaissance
Florence and Elizabethan London to modern
New Yorks Broadway or Mumbais Bollywood,
cities have been the places where culture develops
and moves forward.
This report examines the cultural offer of 24 of
the worlds greatest cities. It gathers evidence on
60 cultural indicators, assessing both the supply of
and demand for culture, and reports on the thinking
of cultural policymakers in those places. The level
of detail of the cultural data collected across the
cities is unprecedented, and represents the primary
achievement of this research.
However, what makes the project even more
valuable is its exploration of attitudes to cultural
policymaking in the world cities. The potential
for culture to contribute to economic and social
development is understood by all the cities, but
it plays out in different ways depending on the
particularities of each place. Bringing an analysis
of policymakers priorities together with the data
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Soweto Theatre, Johannesburg Photo: Peter Hassall

gives a much more rounded picture of cultures

role in, and value to, world cities.
The research is examined in more depth over
the course of this report. There are, however,
a number of messages which emerge clearly.
World cities are as important in culture as
they are in finance or trade
World cities, by virtue of their scale, dynamism
and diversity, are the cities most able to support
the widest range of cultural activity. Their large
audiences (both residents and tourists) and strong
private business sectors (a source both of funding
for the arts and a market for creative goods) means
they are able to specialise in culture, supporting
the high fixed costs of cultural infrastructure,
as well as the other soft infrastructure of
commissioning, distribution, management and
production. Their diversity allows them to sustain
a great variety of art forms, while their dynamism
their constantly changing populations and their
international connections make the world cities
hubs of new cultural ideas and knowledge, and
also great centres for hybridised art forms, created
when ideas are blended together. The reports findings
make clear that the world cities play a crucial role
in global culture.

Culture is at the heart of public policy

in world cities
Policymakers across the cities see culture as a central
part of delivering the priorities and strategies of
urban government. New York put it nicely, suggesting
that culture is the no.2 strategy in all fields; there
will be a strategy to address a question directly,
but there is always a recognition that culture too
has a major role to play in support. In Johannesburg,
efforts to build social and community cohesion
in the wake of apartheid have been strengthened
by the development of a new heritage infrastructure
that tells the history of all South Africas peoples.
In the very different context of Shanghai, culture
is viewed as a source of cohesion in a city that
is changing incredibly quickly. In Tokyo meanwhile,
culture has been seen as an important response
to the challenges posed by the 2011 earthquake,
an event that has led to much soul-searching
in Japan about the countrys future direction.
Cultures role in supporting economic strategies
is also recognised in the cities. In London and
Paris the creative industries are seen as a potential
source of new jobs and growth at a time of economic
difficulty. Cultural activity is also an important
tool in urban regeneration New York stresses
its importance in helping to revive run-down
neighbourhoods.

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In a globalised world, culture gives world cities

a distinctive appeal
In the era of globalisation, world cities are
increasingly competing with each other, rather than
with other cities in their countries, for such things
as the headquarters of multinational firms, or the
right to host major international sporting and cultural
events. Cultural prowess and economic success are
increasingly seen as interlinked. Those cities with
historically strong cultural offers, such as London,
New York and Paris, see culture as a vital part of
their economic strength. This is expressed in two ways.
Firstly, the commercial forms of culture the creative
industries make up a large and growing share of the
economies of large cities. Given the challenges facing
some other sectors of the economy, such as finance
or public services, the creative industries represent
a large source of employment, exports and tax revenue
that needs to be better understood by policymakers
in both the cultural and economic fields.
The second contribution of culture to urban
economies is, if anything, more fundamental.
Culture in all its diverse forms is central to what
makes a city appealing to educated people and hence
to the businesses which seek to employ them. In the
globalised knowledge economy, having a well-educated
workforce is the key to success, and such workers
demand stimulating, creative environments. It is clear
from partner cities responses that they are well aware
of cultures role in making their cities attractive to
talent. A rich and vibrant culture thus also becomes
an indirect source of economic success.
This is recognised by cities in emerging economies
as well from Shanghai to Istanbul to So Paulo there
is a belief that culture will help determine their citys
future economic success.

opposite: Shanghai Dancer Fangji, courtesy of Shanghai Theatre Academy

The cities

The report includes a series of portraits of 22 cities.

These explore policy developments and issues in each.
There are four overarching challenges which face
many of them. One is the battle to balance modernity
and tradition, making sure that both are valued.
The second is maintaining a sense of the local and
specific in a globalised world, while the third is finding
ways to link cultural infrastructure and participation
developing audiences for artistic work. The final one
is ensuring that cultural opportunities are available
to all the citys residents, not just the wealthier or
better connected ones. There are also a number of
more specific challenges facing each city, as well as
great opportunities.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam has been a cradle of humanism and
liberalism since the seventeenth century. It has also
long been a major port, open to and trading with
the world. These attitudes continue to inform the
citys approach to culture, which emphasises the value
of cultural education, the importance of wide access
to culture and the role of global networks.
Europes current difficulties mean that Amsterdam
is also looking to enhance the economic value of
its culture. Arts organisations are being encouraged
to find new revenue streams and the city intends to
become the home of Europes fastest-growing creative
sector by 2020.
Bogot
Bogot is winning a reputation as one of the most
innovative emerging-world cities in urban policy.
Its willingness to try new things has helped it tackle
some of its more pressing problems. Culture too is
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opposite: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Courtesy of NHM

being mobilised in this way, with the citys cultural

policy having a strong social dimension. By drawing
on Bogots rich cultural heritage the city is putting
in place an infrastructure that will attract tourists and
locals alike, while new cultural corridors are designed
to reduce segregation between rich and poor. The
city is also working hard to tap the dynamism of its
growing creative industries, especially in music.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, like many other large Latin American
cities, hopes to use culture to lessen the sizeable
social and economic inequalities that exist among its
people. The city has established a name for itself as
a pioneer of creative industries development policies
for poorer districts, for instance. What is unusual
about Buenos Aires is that it has such a rich cultural
legacy from its 19th century heyday to draw on to
help it in this task. This can be seen in tangible ways
like the great opera house, Teatro Coln and
intangible ones, such as the citys relatively high
cultural participation rates.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the great urban success
stories of the twentieth century, having grown from
a fishing village to become arguably the most dynamic
Chinese-majority city in the world. The challenge
now for the city is to deepen its cultural offer across
art-forms to match the wealth and energy of its
people. One key part of this is a huge cultural
infrastructure project, the West Kowloon Cultural
District, which will give the city several world-class
venues. Hong Kong also recognises that it needs
to boost the supply of home-grown talent, and
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cultural leaders in the city are trying to shift the

mindset of Hong Kong people to make them more
receptive to the idea of culture as a legitimate
career choice.
Istanbul
Istanbul has a rich history and architecture, yet in
some respects is a very modern city its population
has surged in recent decades due to internal migration
(often from rural areas). The challenges facing the
city include boosting participation, especially among
rural migrants and in peripheral areas of the city;
and making the most of the citys cultural heritage
and tourist potential. The citys advantages include
its young, dynamic population, and its fast-growing
economy. Its policymakers are keen to position it
as both a city of culture and a world city.
Johannesburg-Gauteng
Johannesburg is still grappling with the legacy
of apartheid. It has developed a new cultural heritage
sector to tell South Africas story more honestly,
and is now turning towards the issues of increasing
participation and growing audiences.
Johannesburg has lots of possibilities open to
it it may become a different type of world cultural
city. The Nollywood model, pioneered by the
Nigerian film industry, of inexpensive, mass-produced
cultural products aimed at local or Africa-wide
audiences may provide an example for Johannesburgs
creative industries. This may help the city to develop
a distinctively African cultural model to go along with
the Western one which has largely prevailed until now.
London
Londons position is strong in almost every category,
with a great stock of cultural infrastructure, and
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high participation and attendance rates. However,

the UK finds itself in an increasingly tough economic
environment, with pressures on both public spending
and private consumption. There is an opportunity
for culture and the creative industries to make London
a more attractive place to live, work, invest in and
visit, so supporting growth more generally and helping
to rebalance the economy. Hosting the Olympic
and Paralympic Games in 2012 also provided a great
opportunity to achieve a long-term cultural legacy.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles sees itself as the entertainment
capital of the world, and in film, TV and music its
companies dominate the global market. Yet while
it is one of the great producers of cultural products
it has lagged behind as a place in which to consume
culture. This has started to change in recent decades,
as philanthropists have endowed the city with
world-class museums and a major concert hall.
Politically, the Los Angeles region is unusually
decentralised, and this has led its cultural sector
to develop a model of working that is heavily
dependent on partnerships. When it works, this
can produce striking cross-regional collaborations,
bringing large numbers of organisations together
to deliver projects.
Madrid
As capital of Spain for 450 years, Madrid is not short
of cultural heritage. The city boasts one of Europes
great museum clusters, as well as many other cultural
attractions, and has a busy programme of festivals
throughout the year. However in spite of its rich
cultural capital, the economic impact of the recession
in Spain has forced the city to be innovative in its use
of public budgets for culture. A number of new

public-private initiatives have arisen, and alongside

increasing access to culture and enhancing its
substantial heritage assets the city has focused
energies on driving economic development through
culture. This has resulted in new co-working spaces
and support for projects that provide employment, as
well as measures that increase international tourism.
Montral
The largest city in the Canadian province of
Quebec, Montral is arguably, in cultural terms,
the most important French-speaking city outside
France itself. While it has its fair share of highquality museums and theatres, perhaps its most
distinctive characteristic is the way it has embraced
the commercial and cultural possibilities of new
or informal art-forms. Cirque du Soleil, the Just for
Laughs (Juste pour rire) international comedy festival
and the citys booming video games development
sector all demonstrate this openness to new forms
of culture. Montrals cultural policy seeks to build
on these strengths by making the citys culture as
accessible and inclusive as it can.
Moscow
Cultural policy in Moscow in recent years has focused
on reversing the general decline that followed the
breakup of the USSR. Moscow has been one of the
preeminent centres of Russian culture for centuries,
and has a vast stock of stock of cultural buildings and
institutions: with a staggering 500 libraries and 365
museums. Many of these as well as public spaces
and parks are now being treated to a process of
restoration and modernisation. This applies not only
to facilities and equipment, but to cultural
management practices. The government is trying to
decentralise Moscows cultural offer both in terms of

dispersing activity normally reserved to the city

centre, and tailoring activities to specific groups such
as children and the elderly. There are also renewed
efforts to protect the citys distinctive architectural
heritage from demolition.
Mumbai
Mumbai is a poor but rapidly growing and
energetic city. Its current cultural offer is weak in
a conventional sense there is a shortage of cultural
infrastructure, for instance but the huge success
of Bollywood shows what might be possible. Can the
city use Bollywood as a template on which to build
a successful creative sector? Are there other options
for building a cultural offer, such as digital technology
(a major strength of Indias)?
New York
In New York, culture is seen as a visible demonstration
of the world-class status of the city. Its extremely
strong cultural offer is reflected throughout New York:
culture is a signature industry of the city found in
every borough. It is also regarded as a key to economic
success, helping to attract talented workers and
visitors from around the world. The city faces
budgetary pressures, but is determined to maintain
support for culture, especially through public/private
partnerships.
Paris
Paris is looking for ways to make its art de vivre
work for new generations of (multicultural) residents.
While proud of its cultural heritage, it is keen to avoid
Paris becoming an open-air museum, and is building
new facilities in peripheral districts and embracing
new fringe art forms in an effort to keep the citys
culture vibrant and modern. Paris is also emphasising
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the economic value of creative industries to the

citys future.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro epitomises Brazil for many people,
and its hosting of the 2016 Olympics will give it
a chance to showcase its vibrant culture for the world
to see. Yet the day-to-day realities of managing such
a large, dynamic but turbulent city continue to pose
challenges. Cultural policy in the city therefore aims
both to sustain the citys cultural assets and to use
culture to address wider social and economic tensions.
Many cities in Latin America are trying to do this, but
Rio has committed significantly larger resources than
most to its effort.
Seoul
Seoul has risen astonishingly fast from the ashes
of the Korean war to become one of East Asias largest
and most dynamic cities, with a growing reputation
as a creative powerhouse. Cultural participation levels
are high, and the city has built several major venues,
from concert halls to museums, to house its artistic
talent. Yet in the rush to growth, much of the citys
heritage has been lost. Seoul is now looking to strike
a new balance between the contemporary and the
traditional to make the best of all its cultural assets.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city in the worlds fastest
rising power. It has a hugely ambitious, planning-led
approach to culture, building major new infrastructure
for both culture and creative industries with the aim
of becoming a major cultural city by 2020. For now,
though, participation rates in culture are lagging.
If Shanghai is to match its economic power
with equivalent cultural power, the city will have
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to overcome a number of challenges. These include

a rapidly ageing population, a lack of diversity
the city has relatively few international students,
for instance and the need to further develop its
artistic talent base.
Singapore
Singapore has been an independent nation for 50
years, and a diverse and multicultural trading post for
400. In 2015 it celebrates its Golden Jubilee, and
much investment has been put into special cultural
activities and programming, restorations of heritage
sites, and the opening of a number of major new
cultural destinations. The Jubilee celebrations will also
highlight Singapores green heritage the result of the
Garden City vision drawn up when the nation was
founded. Cultural development has been a strong
policy focus for the last 10 years, and as a result the
cultural calendar is busy year-round with many
multi-lingual offerings. The government understands
the arts and culture as an important tool of
community cohesion, and has supported a number of
initiatives that encourage participation, and bring art
closer to the everyday lives of people.
Stockholm
Stockholm is a thriving creative industries hub, with
two thirds of Swedens creative employment, and a
city of high cultural density. Its 70 museums are no
doubt part of the reason for its popularity with
tourists, as well as its beautiful heritage buildings and
streetscapes. Historically the cultural offer has
revolved around performing arts, pop music, fashion
and cuisine but more recently it has diversified into
different and new formats. The government has
channelled funding to the informal and independent
cultural sector, leading to an increase in new

21 balanoires by Melissa Mongiat and Mouna Andraos, Montral Photo: Martine Doyon Courtesy of Ville de Montral

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businesses and projects by arts entrepreneurs, and

experimentation with new financing streams.
Stockholm also has lots of free cultural programming,
as a result of a policy focus on equal access and
participation, especially of young people.
Sydney
Sydney is a mid-sized world city, which means that
in some fields it lacks the breadth of infrastructure
of some of its larger peers. It compensates for this
with a particularly rich informal culture festivals
for example are a great strength of Sydneys. The city
also draws on its climate and natural beauty to create
a relaxed, convivial, inclusive culture. It is trying
to widen this inclusivity by placing more emphasis
on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Tokyo
Tokyos uniqueness stems from its egalitarian
culture, with blurred boundaries between creators
and consumers, and between high and pop
culture. Although the city may not on the surface
appear particularly diverse, in reality it has many
different cultures, often associated with certain
neighbourhoods. Tokyo is strong in both cultural
infrastructure and participation.
The difficulties that Japanese society has faced
in recent years its slow economic growth and,
especially, the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake
and tsunami have led to a reappraisal of values,
and culture is increasingly seen as an important
part of Tokyos reinvention in response to these
challenges.

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Toronto
Toronto is a rising power on the worlds cultural
stage. Its museums, theatres and above all its
film festival have become important venues on
their art-forms global circuits. The city has pursued
an ambitious programme to upgrade its cultural
infrastructure, reflecting its growing confidence
in its cultural strengths.
Toronto is a hugely diverse city: for example,
almost half its population is foreign-born. Ensuring
that this diversity is reflected in both the production
and consumption of culture has become an important
goal of cultural policy in the city.

Fort York, Toronto Courtesy of City of Toronto

In summary

The report is the first time that the richness

of the data has been brought together with such
an in-depth policy analysis. What it shows is that
culture is essential to a thriving world city. It is hoped
that this report will help to point towards ways of
making policy and strategy in this area more effective
and robust.

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Introduction

World cities are customarily thought of as nodes

in a global economic system: centres of finance and
trade and sources of political power. But world cities
are cultural powerhouses too. They excel across a
range of art forms, both formal and informal, and have
a variety and quality of facilities that smaller cities find
difficult to match. They have large, diverse audiences
for culture and attract people from across the globe
who in turn bring their own cultures to add to the
citys mix.
Cultures intrinsic and social values have long
been recognised. However, in the last 30 years a new
view of culture has arisen. It is increasingly seen as
a driver of economic growth. A series of developments
among them the rise of the knowledge economy,
in which skills and creativity count for more than raw
materials; the growth of cultural and urban tourism;
the emergence of the creative industries paradigm;
the theories of Richard Florida, Charles Landry
and others, with their emphasis on the role of culture
in attracting businesses to cities; and the contribution
of the Guggenheim Museum to the regeneration
of Bilbao have led to a new focus on the value
of culture within urban development. This view
attributes a key role to culture in stimulating
long-term economic and social growth in cities
not so much through creating short-term economic
returns (though these may occur), but by shaping
a sense of place and social space that increases
the citys attractiveness to an educated workforce
and the businesses which seek to employ them.
This has been reflected in another phenomenon
of the last couple of decades: city rankings. As part
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of a wider debate about the economic competitiveness

of cities, most such measures have included at least
a nod to cultures role in city life in the comparisons
they make. However, these measures are often
simplistic and based on just a handful of indicators.
For example, Foreign Policy magazines Global
City Index originally used just five to get its cultural
experience score in 2008. Nor are such rankings
intended to inform cultural policy, as they are not
underpinned by any understanding of the way culture
works in cities.
Cultures contribution to the economic and
social life of big cities is a topic worthy of much
more systematic examination. The World Cities
Culture Report 2014 has attempted to do just that
and provides an unparalleled level of detail. Culture
is multi-dimensional and multi-layered; no serious
analysis can reduce a citys culture to a single overall
score or ranking. Comparing cities culture is valuable
as it helps us understand more about their similarities
and differences, their relative strengths and their
perceptions of cultures role in their citys life. For
this to be meaningful, it is necessary to look at a much
wider variety of data to get a sense of the broad range
of cultural activity. The World Cities Culture Report
2014 does this, examining some 60 measures. These
include both formal culture, which is defined as
activity taking place in permanent cultural venues
such as museums, theatres and galleries, and informal
culture, which takes place in other venues such as
pubs, clubs and restaurants or outdoors, such as
festivals. The report also looks at data on production,
consumption, and cultural infrastructure.

opposite: Spanish theatre in Madrid Photo: Sergio Parra, courtesy of Madrid City Council

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The world cities in this report are very varied.

Some are in the developed world, some are in
emerging economies; some were imperial capitals,
some were founded by colonists; some are old,
some are young; some are national capitals, some
are not. They were chosen because they are all
cities which will help shape the direction of the world
over the coming decades, and they are all interested
in strengthening the role of culture.
More than 40 years ago Jane Jacobs celebrated
the diversity of urban neighbourhoods such as her
own Greenwich Village as places where individual
creativity could flourish in an atmosphere of tolerance.
Such places lie at the heart of world cities cultural
contribution. That does not mean, however, there
are no challenges. Sustainability is an issue, and
cultural richness is no guarantee against economic
or social decline. But in world cities, we really
are standing on the shoulders of giants. We have
inherited the cultures of the past and add to them
with the dynamism and flux of the present.

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The report is structured in three main sections:

The role of culture in world cities

What the data tells us
City portraits
This is followed by an appendix giving full details
of the data indicators. Between them, these sections
provide an unparalleled level of detail on culture
in world cities.

opposite: San Telmo, Buenos Aires Courtesy of City of Buenos Aires

World cities and culture

The world is not flat

Popular accounts of globalisation assume that the

world is flattening, becoming more homogenous,
as telecommunications, air travel and the continuing
spread of the English language make different places
appear superficially similar. The experience of landing
at a major airport to be greeted by a familiar set
of advertising billboards what the US novelist Don
DeLillo calls the Esperanto of jet-lag can lure us
into thinking that distance and distinctiveness have
been obliterated.
But the world is not flat, nor is distance dead.
Recent United Nations (UN) reports have confirmed
that more than half of the worlds population lives
in urban areas, and that the urban share is growing
fast, particularly in the global South. Some people
come to cities reluctantly, driven by the age-old
reason that economic opportunities are greater
there. Others come, because as medieval Europeans
noted, the city makes you free, opening up greater
possibilities than those you have left behind. Still
others survey the world, looking for new places to
invest, to set up home, and start businesses.
Telecommunications, travel and education appear
to have entrenched the dominance of the city in the
world economy, not weakened it.
Yet cities remain different from one another and
from their rural hinterlands. Even world cities with
their superficial resemblances remain distinctive.
The reason why? Culture. What links world cities
to one another is trade, commerce and finance.
What makes them different from one another is

culture. While world cities are plugged into global

circuits of ideas and knowledge, it is their local
culture (and cultural producers) which transform
these external influences into something unique.
This report focuses on 24 world cities that are
also commonly regarded as leaders in culture. To be
clear, the report is not saying these are necessarily
the worlds 24 most culturally important cities,
nor is it a ranking. The purpose is not to say which
cities are currently top, even less is it to prescribe
what world cities should do in terms of culture.
Instead, it is to try and understand the role that
culture plays within the successful world city.
None of the cities featured here can be summed
up in a simple soundbite: there is no single festival
city, city of cinema or pop music metropolis.
While many other smaller cities seek to position
themselves by demonstrating their strength in a
particular domain (such as the cities brought together
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)s creative cities
network), the world cities in the report contain much
more than that. All of them offer music, film and
festivals; all have concert halls and art galleries; and
all have vast and growing informal cultural scenes
that interact with, and renew, the culture of the city.
For all the talk about competition between cities,
the distinctive and diverse cultures of world cities are
in some sense complementary: New Yorks cultural
richness is not achieved at the expense of, say,
Tokyos indeed, they may feed off each other.

opposite: Courte-Pointe (Quilt) wraps around the building of the Darling Foundry
Photo: Guy LHeureux, Fonderie Darling, courtesy of Ville de Montral

25

What is culture?

The academic and critic Raymond Williams famously

noted that, Culture is one of the two or three
most complicated words in the English language.
It could be added that it is a complex subject
in whatever tongue one chooses, as the definition
contained in UNESCOs 2001 Universal Declaration
on Cultural Diversity illustrates:

Culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive

spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features
of society or a social group, and that it encompasses,
in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living
together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.
UNESCO
Within this definition, it is possible to discern
the three distinct but interrelated usages of the
term identified by Williams: culture as aesthetic
forms and practices; culture as a way of life;
and culture as a resource for supporting human
development.
The report seeks to capture culture in this
multi-dimensional sense. But it is perhaps inevitable
that a statistical exercise such as this will better
represent the more tangible and material forms
of culture than the intangible ones.

26

Hagia Irene, Istanbul Courtesy of Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism

27

How world cities shape culture

The 24 world cities are global cultural hubs not

because their share of cultural activities is growing
fastest indeed it may be faster in some smaller
cities or towns but because they can afford to
specialise in culture, providing the infrastructure
of commissioning, distribution, management and
other professional functions that enable these sectors
to get their products to market. There are three
elements which characterise culture in such cities.

Dynamism
World cities are dynamic, always changing; and
culture is the grit (and therefore, in time, the pearl)
in the oyster. Great cities are not an outcome but
a process, and are able to reinvent themselves. The
constant influx of new people brings new ideas and
talent to the world cities. This process of change is
central to world cities future. An ability to make new
connections between cities, between industries,
formal and informal culture, for profit and not for
profit activities is a key factor in their sustainability.
The challenge for cities is to understand the evershifting nature of culture this produces, and to nurture
its success.

We dont believe you can ever say that there

is enough or too much culture.
New York
Culture also influences non-cultural activities. For
example, design is the key to product differentiation.
The way in which cultural content is now experienced
across a diverse range of technological platforms is
intertwined with cultural consumption goods and
services are marketed in terms of design, brands,
lifestyles, and experiences.

opposite: Tsaritsino Courtesy of Moscow Institute for Social and Cultural Programs

29

Scale
The wider economy of culture is growing. The United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) reported in its Creative Economy Report
2010 that cultural products and services are making
up an ever-greater share of the worlds trade and GDP,
and that their rate of growth is outstripping the rest
of the economy in a number of countries. Much of this
economy is concentrated in cities: in some of the cities
in this report, the cultural and creative sector is the
second or third largest economic sector.
Size matters because in cultural markets high
failure rates must be expected. Innovation requires
waste, experiment and tolerance of failure. This
is why audiences are crucial. The world cities provide
not just local audiences, but international ones, with
their high numbers of tourists and business visitors.
Crucially they also offer a large student population
drawn locally and from overseas who provide
both a willing market for cheap, often experimental,
culture, and are creators of culture themselves.

Diversity
Diversity in this context refers to diversity of
audience, market and population, as well as diversity
of cultural offerings. It is reflected in festivals and
celebrations, the largest of which in cities like So
Paulo, New York and Berlin attract the equivalent
of almost a third of the citys population, as well
as in foreign-language newspapers, books and films.
For some cities, acknowledging the diversity
of their cities is a key cultural policy goal. London
celebrates its 300 and more language communities.
Sydney, Montral, New York and Mumbai reflect their
diversity in communal festivals.
Diversity is often displayed to its greatest extent
in informal culture, and all the world cities make great
play of these growing sectors that range from comedy
clubs and bars to pop-up galleries and street art. The
work of Chris Anderson suggested that firms could
make money by addressing the countless markets for
minority cultural tastes (the long tail theory). This
is equally true for cities, where the ability to survive
initially with just a small minority audience can give an
idea the breathing space it needs to allow it to grow
into a worldwide hit.

Sydneys unique larrikin spirit, culturally and linguistically

diverse community and spectacular natural beauty shapes
and complements its cultural life resulting in an unusually
inclusive, convivial and dynamic city.
Sydney

30

Peri(pheral)scopes: looking-over to the over-looked, street art project, Sydney Photo: Sharon Hickey, courtesy of City of Sydney

31

Cultural strategies for world cities

World cities theory has hitherto paid relatively

little attention to culture. Strategies for growth
and economic development have been based on
the foreign direct investment (FDI) model and have
stressed elements such as transport, education,
good housing stock and the rule of law. However,
the effort to attract global businesses and investment
can blind city governments to the need to develop
the local and the particular, and to leave space for
the unplanned. World cities, such as those featured
in this report, increasingly recognise this.
It is important to understand not just that the
cultural sector is concentrated in urban conurbations,
but that much of it shapes the wider character of the
city itself: its record shops, its large and small music
venues, its libraries and book shops, its museums and
galleries, its parks and open spaces, football clubs and
cricket grounds, students and cafes. In short, a vibrant
cultural sector, with its mix of the planned and the
spontaneous, is a vital part of the urban experience.
New York makes the point clear by stressing that
of all its signature industries, culture is the one
that is present in every borough and in every
neighbourhood.
The problem for policymakers is that these deep
and interlinking assets are only sometimes the results
of deliberate cultural policy. Instead they are often
the legacy of education policy, transport policy,
planning and licensing laws, migration and housing
policy, of philanthropy and commercial hard-sell
mixed together with a variety of cultural assets, public
and private. So complex is this mix that commentators
sometimes fall back on the assumption that things
just happen in cities, or that the invisible hand of the
market has worked miracles again.
32

Challenges and responses

But in fact the entwining of cultural policy with

other urban policies is characteristic of all world cities.
Culture is embedded in wider social, economic and
political relations. Participating in culture can therefore
have a potentially wide set of positive outcomes beyond
entertainment and the aesthetic from creating and
retaining identity, building social cohesion, fostering
community development and civic participation, to
enhancing wellbeing and generating economic value.
In Bogot and Johannesburg, for example, culture
is seen as part of health and social development, a key
to transforming the lives of previously marginalised
citizens. In Sydney, meaningful recognition of the
culture of the citys indigenous people is a major
goal. In Amsterdam and Singapore, cultural activities
are considered a vital part of education from school
upwards. In Paris, alongside traditional French cultural
policy goals, culture is a priority area for economic
development, while in Shanghai, culture is seen as
a source of social harmony and stability amidst rapid
economic and social change.
This same mix is shown in the many agencies
and actors that are involved in urban cultural policy.
Tokyo stresses that its array of cultural activities
is not sponsored by any government or single large
corporation, but is supported by a variety of public
cultural organisations. New York and Los Angeles also
practise the mixed economy model, with high levels
of philanthropic cultural funding alongside public
funding and consumer spending.
This embedded nature of culture is one reason
why it is inadvisable to try to develop a single blueprint
that can be transplanted from one city to another.
This rarely works. That said, there are certain challenges
that world cultural cities appear to have in common.

There are a large number of challenges facing the

24 cities, but many of them can be grouped under
four overarching themes. The first is about striking
a balance between tradition and modernity. Some
cities international image is very much shaped
by their historic buildings and heritage, yet they
need to find a way to make sure their contemporary
culture is recognised and vibrant a question Paris
is interested in. On the other hand, the international
images of, say, Tokyo and Seoul tend to overlook
their historic quarters and buildings.
The second challenge is how to maintain a sense of
the local and specific in a rapidly globalising world. As
ideas and people move more and more freely across
borders, it may become hard to keep hold of the
distinctive elements of a citys culture. How can this
be done without becoming parochial or protectionist?
The third challenge is how best to link
infrastructure and participation. In some of the most
rapidly growing cities, such as Shanghai and Istanbul,
there are significant efforts being made to improve
the quality of the cultural infrastructure. In some
of the most rapidly growing cities, such as Moscow
and Istanbul, there are significant efforts being made
to improve the quality of the cultural infrastructure.
The fourth challenge is ensuring that cultural
opportunities are available to all the citys residents,
not just the wealthier or better connected ones.
World cities are hubs for both domestic and
international migration, and often have striking
socio-economic disparities. Some of those disparities
have a spatial dimension: the more marginal areas
of the city can be cultural deserts, impeding their
residents chances of integrating into wider civic
society. Many cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Bogota,

Stockholm and Moscow, are devising strategies to try

and widen access to culture for all their communities.
The responses the world cities make to these
and related challenges vary according to their
circumstances. However, there are two strategic
principles which seem to guide their view of cultures
usefulness. The first is to emphasise cultures role
as a force of renewal and social integration. This can
refer to physical regeneration, where old buildings are
given new cultural uses, or where culture helps revive
previously run-down neighbourhoods such strategies
can be seen in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Toronto and
London among other places. But culture also
offers a chance for spiritual or emotional regeneration.
In Tokyo after the 2011 earthquake, New York after
9/11, and in Johannesburg after the end of apartheid,
culture has played a role in bringing a city together
again and reviving its sense of purpose.
The second strategic principle shared by many
of the cities is to stress the importance of partnership
between the public and private sectors. In almost all
the cities, culture benefits from a mixed economy,
where private and public elements reinforce each
other. A few examples help to illustrate this point: many
of New Yorks great cultural institutions such as the
Metropolitan Museum and MoMA are managed privately
but housed in buildings owned by the city. In Istanbul,
state funds support private theatres, while in Tokyo
public institutions often bring in private sector managers
to lead the organisations, bringing in new skillsets.
Such partnerships allow the cultural sector to benefit
from the strengths of both private and public sectors.

33

What the data tells us

The cities in the report

The World Cities Culture Report 2014 builds on the

work of an earlier research report, London: A Cultural
Audit (2008). That report surveyed five cities:
London, New York, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo.
The World Cities Culture Report 2014 adds 19 other
cities to this list. These 24 cities had different levels
of engagement with the production of this report.
22 cities Amsterdam, Bogot, Buenos Aires, Hong
Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles,
Madrid, Montral, Moscow, Mumbai, New York,
Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore,
Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto actively
participated in the data collection and portrayal
of their cultural urban environment. For Berlin and
So Paulo, only data was collected.
It is important to be clear about the administrative
unit that is referred to. Many cities sprawl over
government boundaries, and it is sometimes unclear
whether the city means the city centre, its suburbs
or a wider city-region. In this report each citys
statistics refer to the following administrative areas,
unless otherwise stated.

We can make Johannesburg whatever we want

it to be. The city is here, asking us to shape it.
Johannesburg

34

Freedom Park, Tshwane, Johannesburg-Gauteng Courtesy of Gauteng Tourism Authority

35

Figure 1. City definitions

City name

Corresponding administrative
area

Population of administrative
unit

Size of administrative
unit (sq. km)

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

2,349,870

2,580

Berlin

State of Berlin

3,460,725

892

Bogot

Bogot Capital District

7,674,366

345

Buenos Aires

Autonomous City of Buenos Aires

2,890,151

200

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

7,154,600

1,104

Istanbul

Istanbul province

13,624,240

5,313

Johannesburg

Gauteng province

11,328,203

18,178

London

Greater London

7,825,200

1,572

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County

9,818,605

10,510

Madrid

City of Madrid

3,166,130

604.3

Montral

Montral Agglomeration

1,886,481

624

Moscow

City of Moscow

12,108,275

2,511

Mumbai

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai

12,432,830

437.1

New York

New York City

8,175,133

1,214.4

Paris Ile-de-France

11,797,021

12,012

Rio de Janeiro

Municipality of Rio de Janeiro

6,320,446

1,200

So Paulo

Prefecture of So Paulo

11,253,503

1,500

Seoul

Seoul Special City

10,143,645

605.2

Shanghai

Shanghai Municipal District

23,474,600

6,340.5

Singapore

Nation of Singapore

5,469,724

718.3

Stockholm

Stockholm County

2,163,042

6,526

Sydney

Metropolitan Region of Sydney

4,575,532

12,144.5

Tokyo

Tokyo Metropolis (Tokyo prefecture)

13,159,388

2,130

Toronto

City of Toronto

2,615,060

630

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

36

opposite: Traditional Market Festival, Sindang-dong, Seoul Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

37

About the data

The 2014 report takes as its starting point

a definition for culture that is recommended by
UNESCO within their updated Framework for
Cultural Statistics (2009). The set of indicators used
in the report is adapted from the proposed Culture
Satellite Account Framework suggested by the
OECD (2006). The indicators cover:

cultural provision: categorising the range and

composition of a citys cultural infrastructure
and tracking what these institutions produce
annually
consumption and participation: quantifying
the size, nature and value of the audiences for
the cultural offer of the comparator cities.

Informal culture has not typically been included in

statistics but is nevertheless an important part of the
picture. It affects cultural vitality (informal cultural
production and consumption, together with other
factors that add to the vibrancy or buzz of a city as
experienced at street level) and also cultural diversity
(cultural production and consumption by, and for,
a diverse range of demographic groups).
We also worked with each city to identify a small
number of additional indicators that are of specific
cultural importance to the partner cities, though it
was not always possible to collect these for every city.
The report groups the data into six thematic areas,
to allow for an exploration of patterns in the data.
The six are:

cultural heritage
literary culture
performing arts
film and games
people and talent
cultural vitality and diversity.

38

PAssionArts Festival W.O.W! @ The Park Courtesy of Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

39

Where next for the research?

It is worth noting that the findings are, at least to

some extent, a reflection of the research and data
collection practices in each city. Finding reliable,
good quality data for cultural indicators across
cities is challenging, and the research for this report
required the use of a variety of sources, ranging from
official government statistics to listings in arts and
entertainment magazines. Some of the variations
between cities reported in individual measures also
reflect differences in definitions. For example, for
the data indicator number of foreign films released in
a country there are different definitions of domestic
and foreign from country to country, affected by
factors such as the percentage of a films budget
coming from a particular territory.
The research has also highlighted a lack of
available data for some cultural statistics, especially
for some of the cities in emerging economies.
Work with researchers from the Tata Institute of
Social Science in Mumbai is an interesting case study
in this regard. The figures for Mumbai contained
in the World Cities Culture Report 2014 cannot be
found in existing reports or statistical publications.
A significant amount of primary research and sensechecking of contradictory figures from different
sources had to be carried out, as well as estimating
figures through a process of grossing-up from
a sample of activity.
A number of potential indicators have had to
be excluded from the analysis, because reliable data
could not be collected for all the cities. This included
such things as the number of archives and the number
of public art installations and artist workspaces, to
more culturally specific indicators such as the number
of pianos owned by residents or dedicated cultural
opposite: Cantonese Opera, Hong Kong Courtesy of HAB

community centres. Providing an even more rounded

account of culture in world cities will require further
work to improve the data.
There are four areas where more data would
be valuable:

informal culture: how it works, and what its

potential contribution is
new ways of cultural consumption, including digital
consumption and the reasons why and how people
participate (or not) in culture
the role of artists and other creative people in
a citys social and economic fabric
different approaches to valuing culture.
Despite these gaps, the information gathered
for the 2014 report provides a rich dataset which can
be analysed further in the future. It may be possible,
for instance, to explore whether variables such as
GDP, diversity and participation rates are related.
This research agenda will be taken forward by
the World Cities Culture Forum, including in future
editions of the World Cities Culture Report. That
said, the research carried out for this 2014 report
still represents a breakthrough in comparative data
for world cities. Policymakers need to have more
information about their citys culture in order to be
effective custodians of it; this report is a big step
towards that goal. The next sections discuss the
findings from the research.

41

Cultural heritage

A citys cultural heritage can be considered to

include many things. The report has considered data
on museums and galleries, archives, heritage sites
and public green spaces. They are all in a sense the
cultural inheritance of a city, often established by
previous generations of residents. As such, they
reflect the citys history. Was it an imperial capital?
Is it currently a national capital? The contents of
many art galleries, for instance, reflect wider political
or social turbulence. The core of the collection of
the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London was gathered
between 1790 and 1795 by two London art dealers
on behalf of the King of Poland, who intended it to
form a royal collection in his country. In the five years
it took the dealers to build the collection, Poland was
partitioned and the King forced to abdicate. Attempts
to sell the pictures failed, and they ultimately came to
rest in south London, where they remain to this day.
Museums and galleries are often very visible
symbols of a citys cultural identity. They house their
nations treasures. New Yorks Metropolitan Museum,
Madrids Prado, Pariss Louvre and Tokyos National
Art Center, to name but four, are among the leading
tourist attractions in their cities. Nor are such places
just for tourists in the majority of the cities a third
or more of the resident population visited a museum
or gallery every year. The number of visitors resulting
from this combination of tourists and local residents
can be strikingly high. The five most popular
museums and galleries in both London and Paris
receive more than 20 million visits between them
(though many of Londons have free entry), while
Seouls, Madrids and Istanbuls top five attract
more than seven million. Newer cities too are
keen to develop their museums and galleries:
42

Chora Museum, Istanbul Photo: Tahsin Aydogmus, courtesy of Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Singapore and Johannesburg both have more than

60 museums.
It should be noted that most countries designate
certain museums as national museums, indicating
they have particularly significant collections. Such
national museums tend to be found in a countrys
capital, explaining the relatively low scores on
this measure for the likes of New York, Sydney and
So Paulo. Despite this, all of the cities apart from
Mumbai have at least 40 museums.
Turning to galleries, the figures combine public
and commercial galleries, and are thus evidence both
of a citys cultural legacy and the dynamism of its
contemporary art market. Visual art is a field which
seems to be unusually concentrated in the worlds
leading cities. The mix of galleries, artists, dealers,
buyers and critics found in big cities provide the
infrastructure for artistic activity; impressionism in
Paris and abstract expressionism in New York are just
two examples of art movements inextricably linked
to their host city. In todays more globalised world
other big cities play their part. Istanbul and So Paulo
have established art biennials which have become
important fixtures on the international art calendar.
So Paulos is the second-oldest in the world, after
Venices, having started in 1951. Data from the Art
Newspaper suggests that many of the worlds most
popular art exhibitions are held in the 24 cities
covered by this report.
The rich cultural inheritance of world cities is
demonstrated in other ways too. Their public green
space is one such element, and the most obvious
manifestation is to be found in a citys public parks.
These have disparate origins some are former royal
hunting grounds, such as Londons Hyde Park, while
43

others, such as Central Park in New York, were civic

initiatives. These early examples have proved
influential in other countries. Ueno Park in Tokyo
was one of Japans first public parks, opening in 1873
on land previously owned by a temple. The park was
developed during the Meiji period, a time when Tokyo
(and Japan) was known for adopting many new ideas
from outside the country. The 500,000m2 park is one
of the most visited in Japan, and is famous for its
spring cherry blossom and the museums it contains,
which include the Tokyo National Museum.
The value of parks to urban life continues to be
recognised. New parks continue to be built, even in
established cities like New Yorks High Line park,
built on an abandoned elevated railway, or the new
Olympic Park in east London, one of the largest urban
parks to be created in Europe for decades. However,
the highest percentages of public green space are to
be found in Moscow, Sydney and Singapore, where
it accounts for almost half the land area.
Heritage sites are another example of cities
drawing on their cultural legacy to enliven their
present. The 24 cities under review are home to 33

UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ranging from Museum

Island in Berlin to the Sydney Opera House. Some of
these sites contain several notable buildings. Pariss
world heritage site for example, covers both banks
of the Seine and includes the Louvre, the Eiffel
Tower, Notre Dame, Les Invalides and the Place
de la Concorde, among others, while Rios covers the
whole city.
Each city also has its own designation of historically
significant sites or buildings. These definitions differ
in many ways, and are hence difficult to compare,
but the numbers of buildings and monuments of
historic importance are striking: more than 30,000
in Istanbul, almost 19,000 in London, more than
16,000 in Amsterdam and 9,000 in Berlin. These
differences in definition often reflect different
attitudes to heritage and modernity across countries.
Such sites are again important both to tourists and
residents, helping to give each city its distinctive
character. In recent years schemes such as Heritage
Open Days (in Berlin and Paris) or Open House (in
London) have been devised to enable the public to
have greater access to these buildings.

The uniqueness of Tokyo culture lies in the fact that

so many people can participate in it as equals.
Tokyo

44

opposite: Courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Figure 2. Cultural heritage

Indicator
No. of national
No. of other
No. of art
% attending museums

museums
museums
galleries
and galleries

Visits to five most

popular museums/
galleries (million)

Visits to five most

popular museums/
galleries per capita

No. of World
Heritage Sites

Other heritage/
historical sites

% public green space

(parks and gardens)

Amsterdam 8

143

182

4.5

1.9

16,680

13%

Berlin 18

140

421 N/A

4.7

1.4

8,689 14.4%

Bogot 1

76

N/A N/A

1.5

0.2

5,397 4.4%

Buenos Aires

18

55

331

N/A

1.8

0.6

507

8.9%

Hong Kong

17

15

95

17%

3.7

0.5

1,045

41%

Istanbul 7

71

267

N/A

7.1

0.5

30,188 1.5%

Johannesburg 9

51

76

8%

0.6

0.1

281

London 11

162

857

54%

25.3

3.2

18,901 38.4%

Los Angeles

219

434

N/A

3.9

0.4

577

Madrid 7

52

299 40%

8.3

2.6

253 35%

Montral 0

66

55

64%

2.9

1.6

275

Moscow 29

336

65

36%

6.4

0.5

7,962 54%

Mumbai 4

152

N/A

1.8

0.1

42

2.5%

New York

129

721

N/A

15.4

1.9

1,482

14%

Paris 24

113

1,046 43%

23.4

2.0

3,792 9.4%

Rio de Janeiro

120

108

N/A

2.8

0.5

103

29%

So Paulo

131

58

N/A

2.8

0.3

47

N/A

77%

24%
6.7%
14.8%

Seoul 13

146 228 N/A

14.4

1.4

3 337 2.3%

Shanghai 27

87

208

47%

6.6

0.3

2,049 2.6%

Singapore 6

55

258

N/A

2.9

0.5

67

47%

Stockholm 29

70

120

52%

4.1

1.9

189

40%

Sydney 1

59

122 26%

2.8

0.6

783 46%

Tokyo 8

39

688 33%

9.7

0.8

1 419 3.4%

Toronto 0

67

127

3.3

1.3

49%

61

12.7%

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

46

47

Literary culture

The printing press is perhaps the single most

important innovation in communications technology
the world has seen, and the printed book became
the easiest way to communicate knowledge over long
distances. Yet the printing press has also contributed
to a more urban world, by spurring revolutions in
thinking about politics, religion and social attitudes.
The importance of literary culture in cities is
reflected in the statistics gathered for this report.
Although libraries have existed for centuries
the famous ancient Library of Alexandria was
built more than 2,300 years ago genuinely public
libraries, aimed at the mass of the population, are
a comparatively recent phenomenon, dating from
the industrial revolution and efforts to encourage
greater literacy and education. Driven by government
legislation, and by reformers such as Andrew Carnegie
in the United States, the public library spread rapidly
across the world. Even in the internet age, major
new libraries continue to be built. The National Library
of Singapore opened in 2005 at a cost of more than
250m and holds more than 700,000 books and
other print and non-print materials. The Central
Public Library (Centrale Bibliotheek) in Amsterdam
was built less than ten years ago and is now one of
Europes largest public libraries.
Today, half of the 24 world cities have 100 or
more public libraries, with Paris reporting the highest
number. The world cities libraries lend huge numbers
of books. Thirteen cities lend at least 20m a year,
with Tokyo lending more than 110m. Both Tokyo
and New York lend more than eight books a year
per head of population.
Libraries are, of course, not the only source of
books and reading materials. The cities also contain
opposite: Librairie Artazart, Paris Photo: Maria Spera/CRT IdF

thousands of bookshops. In the richer countries,

bookshops are under pressure from a range of
factors, such as the spread of e-books, high rents
and changing consumer taste. The numbers of shops
are still significant London has 800, while New York
and Buenos Aires have 750. However, other cities
report higher numbers: Paris, Shanghai, Johannesburg
and Hong Kong have more than 1,000. Tokyo leads
the way, with 1,675.
The report also collected data for rare and secondhand bookshops. These were most frequently found
in Johannesburg (over 900) and Tokyo (almost 700).
Statistics on publishing are hard to find for cities,
though national data is available. Once again, historical
accident has played a part in determining the centres
of publishing. Edward Glaeser has pointed out that
in the nineteenth century the big profits in American
publishing came from printing pirated copies of
English novels. New Yorks port and East Coast
location meant its publishers could get hold of the
English originals before their rivals in other cities,
which allowed it to build up a dominant position
in the industry it maintains to this day.
The number of books published has exploded
in recent years. In China and the USA around 300,000
are published every year, while in the UK the figure
is just over 150,000. Russia sees more than 120,000
published annually.
(See pages 5051 for Figure 3. Literary culture)

49

Figure 3. Literary culture

Indicator
No. of public libraries

No. of public libraries

per 100,000 people

No. of library book

loans (million)

No. of library book

No. of bookshops
loans per capita

No. of bookshops
per 100,000 people

No. of rare and

second-hand bookshops

No. of book titles

published in country

Amsterdam 82

10.75

4.58

165

N/A

54,087

Berlin

2.5

23.6

6.8

245

93,124

Bogot 89

N/A

N/A

269

3.5

N/A

14,235

Buenos Aires

81

6.7

2.3

734

25

102

23,680

Hong Kong

77

58.3

8.2

1,590

22

N/A

15,475

Istanbul 42

0.3

0.1

0.0

463

N/A

34,863

Johannesburg 234

9.0

0.8

1,020

943

3,653

London 383

37.2

4.8

802

10

68

151,969

Los Angeles

2.5

50.8

5.2

474

N/A

292,037

Madrid 46

1.5

3.83

1.2

497

16

32

56,4354

Montral 57

12.4

6.6

112

16

6,564

Moscow 507

4.2

61.3

5.1

542

4.5

16

120,520

Mumbai 80

0.006

2.1

0.2

525

82,537

New York

68.0

8.3

777

99

292,037

Paris 830

47.0 4.0

1,025

282

74,788

Rio de Janeiro

74

0.2

0.0

296

68

57,600

So Paulo

98

0.8

0.1

390

3.5

90

57,600

Seoul 464

4.6

21.5 2.2

474

4.7

105

43,146

Shanghai 477

58.7

2.5

1,322

15

343

328,387

Singapore 27

0.5

38.1

7.0

164

12

N/A

Stockholm 90

4.2

11

5.1

70

3.2

20

10,733

Sydney 154

20.8

4.6

439

10

93

8,602

Tokyo 377

112.2 8.6

1,675

13

681

78,501

Toronto 101

32.0

298

11

48

6,564

88

240

220

12.2

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

50

51

Film and games

Cinema is another product of the industrial revolution.

Precursors to the new medium began to appear in
the late nineteenth century, and the Lumire brothers
showed their first projected pictures in Paris in 1895.
The technology quickly spread and developed, and
within a matter of years had become a hugely popular
form of mass entertainment. After initially being
shown in fairs and travelling shows, the emergence
of the nickelodeon in the United States foreshadowed
the rise of the modern cinema a venue dedicated
to film.
Film production is a widely dispersed activity.
Los Angeles is still its undisputed capital but many
of the other 20 cities in the report have had, and
continue to have, significant roles in filmmaking,
often being home to major studio complexes. One
of them, Mumbai, is now believed to make more films
than any other city in the world. This section does
not, however, focus on film production. Instead, the
report looks at film consumption, the opportunities
to watch film.
The statistics suggest that, more than a century
on from the Lumire brothers, Paris love affair with
the cinema continues. It has more cinemas (302)
than any other city although Los Angeles has more
cinema screens (1,073). Per head of population,
Montral and Toronto are also well-served for cinema
screens. Seoul has the highest number of cinema
admissions with 60 million per year.
All the cities in the report have access to a wide
range of films. The data on the number of films
released theatrically each year is only available at
a national level, but it shows that Indian audiences
have more films a year to choose from than any
other country by some distance (3,700). Other
52

countries are less prodigious in their consumption,

but still have at least 200 films a year to choose from.
A high percentage of these films come from overseas.
In 17 cities of this report more than half the films
released are classed as foreign.
Film festivals are another indicator of the role
film plays in a citys culture, and offer further evidence
of the diversity of film offerings in a city many of
the films shown at festivals will not get full theatrical
releases. Toronto is home to the Toronto International
Film Festival (TIFF), regarded as one of the most
prestigious film festivals by the global film industry.
Berlin, New York, Tokyo and London all host major
film festivals, but once again it is Paris which tops the
list in terms of sheer numbers, with 190, many taking
place at community or neighbourhood level. The
best-attended single festival in the cities under review,
though, is Berlins Berlinale.
Film is not the only form of audio-visual art.
Video games have emerged as a new form in recent
decades, and the data suggests they are particularly
important in Asian cities. Tokyo has almost 1,000
video games arcades, while Shanghai has almost
600 and Mumbai close to 300. Cities outside Asia
generally have fewer than 50. In part this reflects
differences in culture pachinko parlours have long
been a distinctive feature of Tokyo life, and this has
carried over into video games arcades.
(See pages 5455 for Figure 4. Film and games)

Toronto International Film Festival Courtesy of City of Toronto

53

Figure 4. Film and games

Indicator
No. of cinemas
No. of cinema

screens

No. of cinema
screens per
million people

No. of cinema
admissions
(millions)

No. of cinema
admissions
per capita

No. of films
released theatrically
in country

No. of foreign films

No. of films
released theatrically
festivals
in country

Attendance
at most popular
film festival

Amsterdam 39

134

57

7.1

3.1

364

301

35

208,169 N/A

Berlin

266 77

9.1

2.6

508

315

33

484,860 N/A

Bogot 46

243 32

17.5 2.3

218

174

19 6,000 N/A

Buenos Aires

76

N/A

N/A

11.0

3.8

336

200

20

370,000

N/A

Hong Kong

46

198

28

N/A

N/A

310

268

30

95,000

47

94

No. of video
games arcades

Istanbul 118

501 38

10.2 0.8

254

184

35

150,000 18

Johannesburg 47

368

13.0

203

21

16

7,500

London 108

566 73

41.5 5.3

557

438

61

132,000 44

Los Angeles

1,073

N/A

510

N/A

54

75,000

1,482

1,160

24 N/A

576

482

34

133

33
109

1.3
N/A

41

Madrid 43

244 77

Montral 20

192 102 6.4

Moscow 112

585 48

12.0 1.0

464

298

43 75,000 N/A

Mumbai 105

232 19

10.9 0.9

3,781

298

100,000 278

New York

117

501

N/A

N/A

510

N/A

57

410,000

Paris

302

1,003 85

58.2

4.9

575

228

190

151,800 14

Rio de Janeiro

42

189

30

15.6

2.5

303

238

16

280,000

So Paulo

46

293

26

50.0

4.4

303

228

29

250,000

N/A

Seoul

91

537 53

60.1 5.9

907

724

53 17,772 187

Shanghai 230

670 28

22.8 1.0

252

60

260,000 587

Singapore 30

207 38

24.6 4.5

310

N/A

19

N/A

Stockholm 21

136 63

5.3

248

199

20

136,000 N/A

Sydney 67

295 64

22.0 4.8

342

306

36

110,000 10

Tokyo

334 25

29.2 2.2

799

358

35 121,010 997

297 114

12.6 4.8

576

482

65

82

Toronto 56

61

8.0 2.5

11

3.4

2.5

125,000 4

17

17

400,000 4

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

54

55

Performing arts

Performing arts is a wide-ranging category. The

report has included measures on theatre, music,
comedy and dance. These art forms are in some
respects the essence of urban culture, as they
only flourish where people with artistic talent
and technical skills can be brought together with
audiences large enough to support their activities.
As a result, performance traditions have developed
in certain cities that have endured for centuries.
London, for example, has been a great centre
for theatre since the late sixteenth century, when
Shakespeare, Marlowe, Kyd and others began writing
their plays and establishing their companies.
The sheer scale and diversity of world cities
provides a wide range of potential audiences for
a huge variety of live performance. This audience is
big enough to support large venues such as theatres
or opera houses. However, world cities also have
many informal, indoor and outdoor performance
spaces, often in bars, pubs, or restaurants, and many
forgotten or hidden spaces, which can be used by, for
instance, site-specific theatre productions. As such,
they provide a mix of venues that allows these art
forms to flourish in ways that are less possible in
smaller towns or cities.
The data confirms that theatre remains vibrant
in major cities. New York has 420 theatres, while
Los Angeles and Paris have more than 330, and
Buenos Aires has 290. Tokyo follows these four,
with 230. The number of theatrical performances
is considerable. The total in Seoul is estimated
at 67,000, with 43,000 in New York and more than
30,000 in London. However, theatre attendance
is highest in New York at over 28 million, followed
by London with 22 million a year.
opposite: Carmen, New York Photo: Paco Manzano,
courtesy of World Music Institute and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Many of the cities also have significant numbers

of live music venues. Some of this activity takes place
in major concert halls, which often have a focus on
classical or orchestral music. Tokyo and New York each
have fifteen of these. They are, however, just the tip
of the iceberg in terms of the number of venues.
Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, Tokyo and London
each have close to, or more than, 350 live music
venues, with New York, Sao Paulo and Berlin having
more than 200. Estimating the number of music
performances is not straightforward, but the figures
suggest Paris has more than 30,000 in a year, ahead
of New York, Tokyo and London.
Comedy as a distinct genre with its own venues
is only a couple of decades old, with wide variations
across the cities. However, there are thousands of
performances in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.
In the cities of the emerging economies, by contrast,
such performances are counted in the hundreds.
Dance performances are more evenly spread.
New York has significantly more than any of the
other cities (6,300), but behind it So Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro and Paris have more than 3,000 a year. In
many cases this level of activity is built on high levels
of participation in dance by non-professionals. The
two Brazilian cities in this report each have more than
800 non-professional dance schools, more than any
of the other cities.
(See pages 5859 for Figure 5. Performing arts)

57

Figure 5. Performing arts

Indicator
No. of theatres
No. of theatre
No. of theatre
No. of theatre
No. of live
No. of major
No. of music

performances
admissions
admissions
music venues
concert halls
performances
(millions)
per capita

No. of comedy
performances

No. of dance
performances

No. of non-professional
dance schools

Amsterdam 57

2,132 2.1

Berlin

6,900 2.3 0.7

140

4,160

1,002

104

166

250

N/A

N/A

111

104

Bogot
74
N/A
N/A
N/A 166

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Buenos Aires
287
5,415
3.8
1.4 N/A

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Hong Kong

N/A

1,946

N/A

493

N/A

Istanbul 184 6,349 2.3 0.2

91

N/A

N/A

154

98

Johannesburg 24

5,000

0.2

46

7,400

508

250

36

London

241

32,448 22

2.61

349

10

17,108

11,388

2,756

618

Los Angeles

330

8,220

0.2

510

2,036

5,624

1,630

78

Madrid

112

4,667 2.6 0.8

92

4,082

1,105

351

147

Montral 36

3,804 0.7 0.4

75

11

3,395

1,383

669

109

Moscow

16,440 7.5

367

9,766

N/A

N/A

628

Mumbai 120 8,750 2.6 0.2

98

593

217

130

N/A

New York

420

43,004

3.5

277

15

22,204

11,076

6,292

682

Paris

353

26,676 5.7

0.5

423

15

33,020

10,348

3,172

715

Rio de Janeiro

158

2,256

N/A

N/A

N/A

2,435

150

3,657

856

So Paulo

116

N/A

N/A

N/A

294

N/A

300

5,200

1096

Seoul

251

75,272 17.8

1.8

79

11,624

N/A

1,528

99

Shanghai 97

15,618 0.6

0.3

44

3,356

N/A

1,686

438

Singapore 14

3,930 0.9 0.2

N/A

3,565

N/A

1,035

96

Stockholm 80

3,000 2.0

65

8,533

N/A

749

200

Sydney

73

4,966 0.7 0.2

143

1,014

432

283

441

Tokyo

230

24,575 12.0 0.9

385

15

15,617

8,452

1,598

748

8,957 2.5 1.0

149

14,967 2,795

364

28

56

42

182

Toronto 75

6,470

3.4
1.7
1.9

28.1

0.9

0.5

0.6

0.9

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

58

59

People and talent

Cities are, of course, not simply collections of buildings

or institutions. Their lifeblood is their population and
their openness to the ideas and energy new people
can bring. This report attempts to measure some
of the cultural dynamism inherent in successful cities
by considering their human capital.
Most of the 24 cities have a number of publicly
funded specialist cultural higher education institutions.
These can be very expensive to run, but they are an
expression of the value placed on cultural skills by
society. In most countries such institutions are heavily
concentrated in the largest cities. It is also useful to
look at privately funded institutions, to reflect the
different ways in which higher education is organised
in any given country. However, in some of the cities,
such as Istanbul, New York and Johannesburg, art
faculties in the public education sector are contained
within public generalist universities.

The subjects covered by these specialist

institutions tell us something about the cultural
forms that are most valued by a particular city or
country. While most cities have specialist schools for
performing arts (music, drama and dance) and the fine
arts, Berlin and Paris also have specialist universities
for film, Tokyo has one for fashion, London and
Madrid have ones for design, and Mumbai and Paris
have ones for architecture..
Despite having a smaller number of institutions
than some of the others, London has almost 35,000
students in specialist art and design institutions
more than any other city. Seoul by contrast
has 78,000 studying art and design at generalist
universities, again reflecting different approaches
to higher education.
(See page 62 for Figure 6. People and talent)

The sheer number of different cultures in London has

an effect on both its citizens and on visitors. At street
level, it enables punks, Goths and business people
to inhabit the same space.
London

60

Finale of McQ show, London Fashion Week February 2012 British Fashion Council

61

Figure 6. People and talent

Indicator

No. of specialist
public cultural
HE establishments

No. of specialist
private cultural
HE establishments

No. of students
at specialist public
Art & Design institutions

No. of students of Art &

Design degree courses
at generalist universities

Amsterdam 11

N/A

5,641

2,201

Berlin 5

12

5,091

N/A

Bogot 1

3,112

47,686

Buenos Aires

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Hong Kong

6,848

2,424

Istanbul N/A

N/A

N/A

774

Johannesburg N/A

24

N/A

9,066

London 11

46

34,920

15,745

Los Angeles

14

N/A

N/A

Madrid 6

26

2,144

18,042

Montral 1

80

9,139

Moscow 22

13

N/A

N/A

Mumbai 18

N/A

1,375

N/A

New York

12

N/A

N/A

Paris 30

73

14,024

N/A

Rio de Janeiro

N/A

1,899

So Paulo

N/A

N/A

Seoul 7

50

2,484

82,925

Shanghai 5

18

13,324

43,501

Singapore 2

4,645

4,492

Stockholm 6

290

825

7,271

Sydney 2

20

15,571

13,972

Tokyo 1

16

24,120

25,444

Toronto 2

16

315

12,536

N/A

N/A

Source: BOP Consulting (201)

62

Laboratorios, Bogot Photo: Fundacin Gilberto Alzate Avendao Courtesy of SCRD/Invest in Bogot

Cultural vitality and diversity

The human capital of a city helps to drive its vitality

and diversity. These are hard to capture in a single
indicator, so the report has compiled a number of
measures looking at different aspects of the less
formal entertainment and street life of the cities.
These factors might be thought of as measuring
the buzz of a city. Buzz matters because it shapes
many of the perceptions of a city for residents
and tourists alike, and it may also have beneficial
economic effects. The academic Richard Florida
has argued that an open-minded, diverse, exciting
culture makes a city attractive to educated and
creative workers and hence to the businesses that
want to employ them. His views remain controversial,
but there is little doubt that a lively and energetic
street life can be evidence of a citys wider strengths
the safety and vibrancy of its neighbourhoods; the
willingness of its communities to mix; the degree of
civic pride felt by residents; and the desire to come
together in communal celebrations in an increasingly
individualistic world. A citys residents are both
observers and participants in its street life.
The first aspects of cultural vitality the report
looked at were night clubs, discos and dance halls.
Defining these precisely is a challenge, but the figures
suggest that Shanghai is particularly strong in this
field, with around 1,900 night clubs. Among the
Western cities, New York and Los Angeles led the
way, with over 550. Bars too are a feature of the more
informal culture of a city, and therefore difficult to
quantify, especially in cities such as So Paulo and
Johannesburg. Seoul reports the highest number
(23,600), well ahead of the remaining cities.
Food is often regarded as a central aspect of
culture in the wider sense of the word. The world
Carnival, Rio de Janeiro Photo: Riotur/Alexandre Macieira, courtesy of SMC

cities have strikingly large numbers of restaurants.

Tokyo has 150,000 eating places, while Seoul has
79,000 and London over 37,000. Los Angeles and
New York have over 24,000. Michelin has a longestablished star system for rating restaurants. It
only operates in eight of the cities on the list, but it
confirms Tokyos dominance the Japanese capital
has more Michelin-starred restaurants than Paris,
New York and London combined. Stockholm has
recently experienced a new culinary boom rooted
in the New Nordic food movement.
Street festivals are another example of a citys
vitality. Moscow, Sydney and Bogota are particularly
strong in this respect, having more festivals than New
York or London. Attendances at major festivals can be
enormous: Rio de Janeiros Carnival attracts two
million people a day over five days and is the biggest
carnival in the world.

65

The 24 world cities are major destinations for

international tourists. Such visitors are an indicator
of the appeal of a particular city and its culture,
but also contribute to it. International tourists make
up a significant slice of the audience for many cultural
attractions in world cities. Counting mainland Chinese
as international visitors, Hong Kong attracts more
than 48.6 million tourists per year. Apart from Hong
Kong, London receives the most international tourists
of our world cities over 16.8 million. Singapore and
Paris follow, with 15.6 million and 15.5 million
respectively. Diversity matters to the culture of world
cities for a number of reasons. Firstly, new arrivals
bring their own culture with them, something that
is seen most obviously in the wide variety of ethnic
restaurants which characterise most world cities.
Secondly, new arrivals can also act as bridges
between their city and their land of origin, speeding
the exchange of ideas and experiences. Finally,
perhaps the greatest cultural benefit stems from
the meeting of cultural forms.

Few artistic innovations are entirely new. In most

cases they are hybrids, drawing on and mixing
elements from different sources to create something
distinctive. By increasing the number of available
ideas and approaches, diversity thus encourages this
mixing and innovation.
Many of the cities are strikingly diverse. In eight
cities of this report more than a quarter of their
population is foreign-born. Toronto leads the way
at 49% followed by New York at 37%. Other cities
have experienced waves of immigration in earlier
decades, giving them very diverse populations now.
So Paulos people, for example, are the descendants
of Europeans, Africans and Asians who came to (or
were forcibly brought to) the city in the last 200 years.
Although the report has not been able to collect
statistics for this, it should also be noted that many of
the world cities also receive considerable in-migration
from other parts of their home country. Istanbul,
for example, has seen substantial migration in recent
decades from rural areas of Anatolia.

Cultural diversity is of the essence for human beings,

just as biodiversity maintains biological balance.
Shanghai

66

opposite: Seoul Dance Project, Seonyu Island

Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

Figure 7. Cultural vitality and diversity

Indicator
No. of night clubs,
No. of bars
No. of bars per
No. of restaurants
No. of restaurants
No. of festivals/ Attendance
No. of international No. of international No. of international % foreign-born

discos and dance
100,000 people
per 100,000
celebrations
at most popular students
tourists
tourists as % of city population
halls population
festival population
Amsterdam 36

1,504 64

1,312

56

293

700,000 6,628

5,506,722

234%

33%

Berlin

152

1,247 36

4,885

141

63

1,360,000 21,805

2,871,000

83%

13.2%

Bogot

N/A

N/A N/A

6,158

80

319

3,497,132 N/A

966,748

13%

0.3%

Buenos Aires

140

3,642

126

2,823

98

95

600,000

73,416

2,843,658

98%

13%

Hong Kong

80

1,220

17

11,834

166

56

N/A

20,900

48,615,113

679%

N/A

Istanbul

N/A

657 5

1,508

11

136

N/A

6,643

8,057,879 59%

N/A

Johannesburg 130

N/A N/A

15,000

133

82

67,829

37,067

3,988,335

35%

5.7%

London

337

2,143

27

37,450

478

254

1,500,000

99,360

16,800,000

199.56%

30.8%

Los Angeles

731

3,248

33

28,787

293

257

1,473,371

39,503

6,100,000

61%

35.6%

Madrid

212

5,877 186

6,334

200

69

1,200,000 17,780

3,688,258

116%

20.5%

Montral

68

1,287 68

2,283

121

144

2,000,000 21,425

1,770,939

94%

33.2%

Moscow

371

581 4.8

3,159

26

537

90,000 69,926

5,200,000 43%

13.0%

Mumbai

29

543

13,205

11

34

2,000,000 1,500

2,195,000

18%

1.4%

New York

584

7,224

88

24,149

295

309

2,500,000

8,380,000

103%

36.8%

Paris

190

3,350 30

22,327

189

360

1,500,000 96,782

15,500,000

129.39%

12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

240

12,072

191

6,576

104

368

12,000,000

2,185

1,400,000

22%

1%

So Paulo

184

15,000

133

12,500

111

N/A

4,000,000

N/A

1,600,000

14%

1%

Seoul

222

19,113 188

80,708

796

298

1,104,775 24,164

9,850,020

97%

4.1%

Shanghai

1,865

1,320 6

55,614

237

33

3,060,000 43,016

8,511,200

36%

0.9%

Singapore
57

659
12

2,426 44

N/A N/A 80,000 15,567,900

285% 29.2%

Stockholm N/A

414 19

2,000

92

50

550,000 7,672

2,000,000

92%

30.1%

Sydney

75

661 14

4,554

99

312

653,000 100,000

2,610,000

57%

34.4%

Tokyo

73

14,184 108

150,510

1,144

485

1,270,000 43,188

5,940,000

45%

2.4%

Toronto

250

957

7,983

305

203

1,300,000 57,847

1,360,600

52%

49%

37

60,791

Source: BOP Consulting (2014)

68

69

In summary

The data suggests that the legacy effects of cities

cultural inheritance (the fact that some cities have
benefited from centuries of investment in cultural
infrastructure and promotion of cultural activities) can
be persistent. This effect is obvious in infrastructure.
As cities in emerging economies grow richer, these
gaps are likely to reduce, but they may take many
years to close. Though they may eventually do
so New York has, over time, caught and passed
London and Paris on many indicators. Some emerging
cities have ambitious plans in this area: Shanghai,
for example, intends to build or develop new
facilities at the Palace of Chinese Arts, Shanghai
Contemporary Arts Museum, Shanghai Expo Museum
and the Shanghai Childrens Art Theatre in the
next few years.
However, infrastructure is not the only measure
of culture. Researchers in developed economies have
only latterly woken up to the importance of informal
culture, suggesting that such activity festivals,
for example is an increasingly important driver
of a citys appeal to residents and businesses alike.
In this domain, the gap between the older, richer
cities and those of the emerging economies is smaller,
and on some of these indicators the emerging cities
outscore the older cities in part, because they
are often larger. These wider measures of vitality
and diversity suggest that the world cities are
more balanced culturally than simple counts of,
say, museums would indicate.
However, even if informal activity is strong,
and the cultural infrastructure is improving, there
is a third dimension: participation in culture. Here
the figures suggest that the more established world
cities of London, New York, Tokyo and Paris still
opposite: Tokyo Marathon Courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government

lead the way in terms of number of performances

and audiences, though a newer world city, Seoul, also
does very well on these measures. Culture ultimately
has to engage with the mass of the people if it is to
become a dynamic force in the life of the city.
This was eloquently described by Tokyo. They note
that culture has traditionally been seen as egalitarian
not elitist: the culture of Japan has always been the
domain of the common citizen. This is expressed in
a number of ways, notably the lack of clear boundaries
between professional and amateur activities, and
enables widespread public cultural participation.
This ambition to broaden participation as much
as possible is perhaps something that all cities working
to integrate culture into their urban landscape can
aspire to.
The full data tables for all indicators can be found
in Appendix 1.

71

City portraits
The report now turns to a series of short portraits of
22 cities, exploring some of the recent developments
in these cities, and the context in which cultural policy
is made. These portraits are drawn in part from the
responses cities gave to a series of policy questions.
The list of questions asked can be found in Appendix 3.
The cities are discussed in alphabetical order:
Amsterdam, Bogot, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong,
Istanbul, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Madrid,
Montral, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Rio de
Janeiro, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm,
Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

opposite: Paris Plage Photo: Alfred/SipaPress/CRT IdF

Amsterdam
Amsterdam Metropolitan Area
Geographical area: 2,580 sq.km
Total population: 2,349,870
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 14%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 42%
GDP (PPP) million: US$103,511
Percentage creative industries employment:
8.3%

Amsterdam is a relatively small city by contemporary

standards, but it has played an outsized role in the
history of urban civilisation. As the capital of the
Dutch Republic in its 17th century Golden Age the
city was central to one of the turning points of human
consciousness: the Enlightenment. Amsterdam was
a great port, trading with the world and dominated by
its merchant class. It was and still is a city which
welcomed outsiders (one of its nicknames, Mokum,
is derived from the Hebrew word for safe haven).
For its time it was unusually tolerant of religious
or intellectual differences, and in this environment
thinkers and artists such as Spinoza, Descartes and
Rembrandt flourished, setting down the principles
of liberalism and humanism which continue to shape
Western thought and art to this day.
Though the citys fortunes have ebbed and flowed
since then, Amsterdam remains a city whose culture is
moulded by liberalism. It is at the forefront of debates
on issues such as gay rights and multiculturalism the
opposite: Photo: Edwin van Eis, courtesy of City of Amsterdam

latter an increasingly important topic in a city

where a third of the residents are foreign-born
and continues to be open to the world, seeing itself
as part of global networks in trade, finance, ideas
and culture.
For Amsterdam, culture has an important role
to play in maintaining its place in these networks
and is key to its city marketing strategy. The citys
lively cultural scene includes music, theatre, visual
arts, photography, film, design, dance and heritage,
as well as famous sights such as the Van Gogh
Museum, the Anne Frank House, the EYE Film
Institute and the Paradiso pop music venue. These
help attract more than 5.5m foreign visitors to
the Amsterdam Metropolitan area per year. More
than 25 major cultural buildings have been built,
rebuilt or refurbished in recent years. The Central
Public Library (Centrale Bibliotheek) opened its doors
to the public in 2007 and is now one of Europes
largest public libraries. Hermitage Amsterdam,
a branch of the St Petersburg museum, opened
in 2009 and is its largest satellite in the world. The
Rabozaal, located between the historic Municipal
theatre and the Melkweg pop music venue, opened
in 2009 as a flexible performance space for use
by both institutions and is one of the largest studiostyle theatre spaces in The Netherlands. Most notably
of all, the great Rijksmuseum, with its masterpieces
by Rembrandt, Hals and Vermeer, reopened in
2013 to universal acclaim after a ten-year renovation.
Heritage is a major element of Amsterdams
cultural offer. The Canal Ring is the largest and
one of the best-preserved historical city centres in
75

Europe. The Ring celebrated its 400th anniversary in

2013, and was added to UNESCOs World Heritage
List in 2010. The Amsterdam City Archives is now
home to UNESCOs first World Heritage Podium,
which gives visitors information about all nine
UNESCO World Heritage sites in The Netherlands,
as well as details of sites under consideration for
the future. Amsterdam, though, is a dynamic city,
and seeks to strike a balance between preservation
and renewal. It sees value in heritage being used
to address contemporary issues: the citys 2011
Heritage Vision makes links between heritage and
the citys social and economic challenges.
One of these challenges is to ensure that its
support for heritage, traditional and contemporary
art-forms lets its cultural sector engage with and
reflect the diverse profile of the citys population.
Amsterdams contemporary art scene is now back
on the map after the reopening in 2012 of the
Stedelijk Museum, the citys world-class museum of
modern and contemporary art and design. The citys
Art Factories programme builds on Amsterdams
tradition of artist free-zones and squats (nowadays
illegal) to provide suitable living and working spaces
for new artists and creative entrepreneurs.
The city also wants to maximise the economic
impact of culture and creative industries. One of
the main objectives the city has set itself for 2020
is to make Amsterdam home to the fastest-growing
creative sector in Europe. The Amsterdam Economic
Board, which is a triple helix partnership between
government, industry and academia, released a
Knowledge and Innovation agenda in 2011, designed
to significantly improve the regional economy.
Creative entrepreneurship is facilitated and supported
with a focus on digitisation, economic spin-offs
and investment schemes. The Board also supports
76

top-quality education at the professional level

to further the growth of the creative sector, including
the CreativeCampus, a virtual and physical campus
for applied and basic scientific research in the
creative industries. Local authorities understand
that Amsterdams cultural and creative sector is key
to developing a suitable environment for attracting
creative individuals.
Dutch national education policy allows local
authorities to adapt the curriculum to local
circumstances. Amsterdam has exercised this power
to create a new structure for cultural education.
A Standard Package for Art and Cultural Education
in primary (and special) schools was introduced in
2013 with up to three hours of cultural education
in the curriculum per week one hour of music,
one of visual arts and heritage, and one hour
dedicated to a discipline of the schools choice,
such as the performing arts. Signed by the central
municipality, the City Districts and almost every
school board in Amsterdam, and with a commitment
for the next ten years, this covenant is unique
to the city, and could become an international
benchmark. There are a number of other cultural
and creative talent development policies, including
the multi-disciplinary Professional Arts Scheme
of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Centre
of Expertise for Creative Industries, and creative
leadership programmes at THNK, the Amsterdam
School of Creative Leadership.
The cultural sector in The Netherlands is coming
under pressure as cuts are made to government
subsidies in response to the countrys economic
difficulties. Amsterdam is responding to this by trying
to instigate new thinking in its cultural institutions.
Amsterdams Plan for the Arts (published every four
years by the Arts and Culture team of the Amsterdam

opposite: Hermitage Amsterdam Photo: Edwin van Eis, courtesy of City of Amsterdam

Municipality) presents the citys cultural policies and

ambitions, but also makes decisions on the allocation
of subsidies (a total of $113.2 million per year)
for over 140 cultural organisations. The 20132016
plan imposes major cuts on the citys bigger cultural
bodies. It also obliges every funded institution to
reach new audiences and makes it mandatory for
them to generate at least 25% of their revenue from
earned income by the end of 2016. Partnerships and
knowledge transfer between cultural organisations
on back-office, marketing and audience development
are highly encouraged. These policies will help develop
the entrepreneurial spirit of the sector and prepare

it for a future where it has to become less dependent

on public funding.
These policies, with their mix of positive support
and pragmatism, typify Amsterdams approach
to sustaining a rich and diverse culture with a range
of big and small institutions. They aim to ensure that
the citys centuries-old traditions of artistic excellence
and of being a global hub for culture continue to offer
inspiration in a rapidly changing world.
I Amsterdam: www.iamsterdam.com

77

Bogot
Bogot, Capital District
Geographical area: 345 sq.km
Total population: 7,674,366
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 16.3%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 20.5%
GDP (PPP) million: US$82,175
Percentage creative industries employment:
N/A

Bogot is one of the oldest cities in Latin America.

Founded in 1538, it was one of the centres of
Spanish power and culture on the continent, and has
continued to be both the cultural and political capital
of independent Colombia. Its rich heritage and
economic power attracted many migrants both from
rural areas and from abroad, giving the city a richly
diverse population mix that includes indigenous
groups, Afro-Colombians and Jewish and Muslim
minorities. Although the city has been scarred by the
wider political and drug-related violence which
engulfed Colombia for many decades, it has more
recently started to recover from these difficult times,
and like a number of other Colombian cities has
acquired a reputation for urban innovation.
The citys diversity is also seen in its large and
growing cultural infrastructure. It comprises over 500
public and private cultural venues, ranging from
museums, libraries, theatres, cultural centres to art
galleries and informal spaces. Two of its most visited

venues are Maloka, the largest science and interactive

technology museum in South America (inaugurated
in 1998) and Colombias National Museum, built
in 1823. The Republic Bank Gold Museum, with its
display of the biggest pre-Columbian gold collection
in the world constitutes another significant attraction,
as does Museo Botero, a gallery which combines
a collection of the work of the celebrated Colombian
artist, Fernando Botero (donated by him), with
work by many other great painters, such as Picasso,
Matisse and Renoir.
Much of Bogots public cultural policy is
underpinned by a concern with the social dimension
of culture. Children and young people benefit
from a targeted artistic training as part of the citys
educational programme in public schools. Initiatives
such as Biblored, the public library network developed
by the Municipal Office, promote a form of citizenship
associated with reading, research, culture and
information technologies, with particular emphasis
on supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
Several programmes also aim to tackle urban segrega
tion and discrimination in the city, such as the creation
of cultural corridors in significant areas which make
Bogots diverse cultural practices more visible.
Bogots approach to cultural policy-making is
intertwined with a recognition of the value of public
space. Public green spaces are a fundamental asset of
the city, hosting a myriad of cultural activities, such as
the Festivals at The Park, five huge open-air musical
events ranging from rock, hip hop and salsa to jazz
and opera. Other highlights include the biennial
Iber-American Theatre Festival, the worlds largest

opposite: Bogot by night Photo: Carlos Lema, courtesy of SCRD/Invest in Bogot

79

event of its type, which attracts two million people

every two years, and the Bogot Summer Festival,
which offers an outdoor programme of free-of-charge
cultural, sports and recreation activities.
Another of the citys strengths is its support
of informal cultural activities. The value of street art,
self-managed visual arts spaces, new design circuits
and urban sports is embraced by the Municipal
Secretary of Culture, Recreation and Sports, which
is aware of the social and economic impact of this
significant sector. Alternative culture shapes the urban
milieu and boosts the citys breadth of talent, while
also improving quality of life, attracting tourism and
generating new economic transactions.
Bogot is Colombias creative hub. It has a high
proportion of the countrys creative production
activities, particularly in music, cinema, audiovisual
and digital animation. The city has made visible
progress in the development of its creative economy.
It supports the commercialisation of creative products
and projects through initiatives such as Bogot
Audiovisual Market, Bogot Music Market, artBo
(International Arts Fair of Bogot) and Bogots
International Book Fair. The music scene is especially
dynamic, with over 500 commercial music companies
and more than 600 live music venues. Colombians
are fond of celebrating and dancing, giving Bogots
an especially lively nightlife (rumba). These factors
helped Bogot earn the designation of City of Music
from UNESCOs Creative City Network in 2012.
The city is keen to develop new collaborations with
the private sector in order to carry out cultural policy
evaluation and cross-cutting research, strengthening
the production of knowledge about the creative
sector and the availability of cultural statistics.
Bogots creativity can also be seen in its attitude
to urban issues. For almost forty years, the big
80

avenues of the city have been closed to car traffic

on Sundays and official holidays and converted into
Ciclova, a 121km temporary bicycle lane enjoyed
by one million of the citys inhabitants. This, together
with other initiatives such as ecological housing,
the innovative metro-like bus system Transmilenio,
and other progressive urban interventions, shows the
citys increasing environmental awareness and creative
edge. La Candelaria, the historic colonial centre of
the city is being pedestrianised, and has proved to
be a popular place with local visitors as well as a key
tourist attraction with its museums, theatres, bars
and restaurants.
Bogot, then, has risen successfully to the
challenge of engaging the private sector in supporting
urban culture and creativity while also providing
good-quality public provision of services and
infrastructure in the cultural sector. Yet while it
has made exceptional progress in rebranding itself
as a green city of culture, several challenges remain.
These include: how to achieve further international
recognition by raising the profile of local artists; how
to improve collaboration at different governmental
levels, particularly to support less well-developed
creative industries; and how to reduce the impact
of poverty, inequality and urban segregation on
cultural participation.
District Department of Culture, Recreation and Sports:
www.culturarecreacionydeporte.gov.co
Bogots Chamber of Commerce: www.ccb.org.co
Bogots Investment Agency: www.investinbogota.org

opposite: Colombia Al Parque Photo: Carlos Lema, courtesy of SCRD/Invest in Bogot

81

Buenos Aires
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires
Geographical area: 200 sq.km
Total population: 2,890,151
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 7.2%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: N/A
GDP (PPP) million: $191,700
Percentage creative industries employment:
9.3%

A hundred years ago Buenos Aires was the richest

city in one of the worlds richest countries. Its Frenchstyle architecture and wide avenues, bohemian literary
scene, open spaces and cafs earned it the nickname
of the Paris of South America, and European
immigrants poured into the city. Culturally too Buenos
Aires was making its mark, in both high and popular
culture: its celebrated opera house, the Teatro Coln,
attracted the worlds leading singers to its stage,
while a new dance, the tango, emerged from the poor
district of La Boca.
In the century that followed autocratic politics,
military coups and hyperinflation took a heavy
toll, resulting in a steep decline in Argentinas
(and Buenos Aires) status in the world. Today the
city grapples with many of the problems that face
megacities across the developing world, such as
the gulf between rich and poor. Yet the legacy of
its past still lingers in its broad cultural offer, high
levels of cultural participation, its large number
opposite: Planetarium Galileo Galilei Courtesy of City of Buenos Aires

of formal and improvised venues, and a history

that embraces the freedom of being in public space,
particularly since the return of democracy in 1983.
Buenos Aires nowadays is a city of contrasts. Some
of these are visible when travelling from the northern
to the southern areas of the city; others are expressed
in a landscape that combines skyscrapers designed
by international architects with shanty towns lacking
access to basic resources. The project to transfer
the City Government offices from downtown Buenos
Aires to Barracas is a response to this need to improve
economically deprived and under-served city areas.
A key challenge, then, is to develop public cultural
policies (in conjunction with local practitioners
as well as the private sector) which address the
citys inequalities. How can cultural programmes,
when combined with economic, social and urban
interventions, contribute to a more inclusive and
less antagonistic everyday culture?
From a policy-making perspective, culture is
seen in the city as a key resource for economic and
social development. Long-standing neighbourhood
cultural programmes engage audiences of all
ages and backgrounds across the city by providing
free access to cultural services. The value of culture
for tourism has long been recognised by local
authorities and private agencies looking to attract
national and international visitors. Tango remains
one of the citys main cultural exports, with its own
festival, World Cup, dance halls (milongas) and
local dance competitions. The Tango Festival is
the most popular festival inthe city, with 600,000
people attending each year. In 2009 UNESCO
83

officially designated tango as part of the intangible

cultural heritage of humanity.
Yet tango is only one small portion of the citys
cultural life. Venues such as the Teatro Coln, the
Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA), the Fine
Arts National Museum (MNBA) and the Decorative
Art National Museum (MNAD) are internationally
renowned and attract a large number of visitors.
With a growing audience in the last fourteen years, the
Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival
(BAFICI) is now the citys second best-attended
festival. Long-established cultural centres such as
the Centro Cultural Recoleta and Centro Cultural San
Martin, together with more recent ones like the Centro
Cultural de la Cooperacin, offer the best of the citys
contemporary culture through a vast array of dance,
visual arts, music, theatre, cinema and arts training.
Ciudad del Rock is a large-scale popular music venue
for national and international bands, developed in a
former outdoor theme park, which is intended to help
revitalise the cultural offer of the south of the city.
The port area, Puerto Madero, is the site of the major
urban redevelopment project in central Buenos Aires,
turning the citys waterfront into an entertainment,
office and exclusive residential area with green public
spaces. The local authorities are also seeking to
position Buenos Aires as a key destination for sports
and business tourism by hosting international events
such as the latest International Olympic Committee
Meeting and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Another striking feature of Buenos Aires cultural
life is its great variety of free-of-charge events,
ranging from music festivals, arts exhibitions, book
fairs and design showcases, to film, theatre, dance
and circus performances. Informal cultural activities
strengthen the development of artists communities
and encourage diversity and innovation in cultural
84

forms. After the 200102 economic and institutional

crisis, the city has also seen the emergence of new
cultural spaces, factories converted for cultural
use, alternative theatre venues, independent design
stores and private museums. The newly built Usina
del Arte (Arts Factory) in a former power station, for
example, now provides Buenos Aires with its second
concert hall. Outdoor fairs of crafts and local traditions,
such as those of Mataderos and San Telmo, have been
revitalised and are seeing a growing number of visitors.
Buenos Aires has been a pioneer of creative industry
development in Latin America. Back in 2001, the
city government issued a ten-year strategic cultural
plan with the broad goal of strengthening Buenos
Airesrole as a regional hub for the creation, production
and dissemination of culture. To deliver this vision,
the Municipal Ministry of Culture, in conjunction
with the Ministry of Economic Development, set
up the Creative Industries General Direction. The
establishment of this agency jointly by the economic
and cultural departments of the city was innovative
as it demonstrated an understanding of the cultural
and creative industries interrelationship with the citys
public cultural infrastructure. Through a combination
of urban regeneration and tax incentives the city
has tried to build a sustainable model for its creative
economy, attracting domestic and foreign companies.
These efforts have been rewarded with the title
of UNESCO City of Design, the first city in the world
to receive this honour.
One result of these innovative policies has been
the creation of the Design Metropolitan Centre (CMD),
as part of the wider Design District Project. This former
fish market located in an economically deprived
area was turned into a design hub aimed at providing
business incubation, training courses for enterprises
and residency programmes. As well as an auditorium,

Tango Buenos Aires, Festival & Dance World Cup Courtesy of City of Buenos Aires

a 3,000m space for exhibitions and displays,

a cultural centre and a museum, the CMD houses
governmental offices. These include the Creative
Industries Observatory which seeks to produce a
knowledge base about the creative industries in the
city. The Observatorys work complements Buenos
Aires's Observatory of Tourism, which collects
information about the impact of tourism on the
citys social and economic development.
Buenos Aires, then, is trying to use culture and
creative industries to address some of its wider

social and economic divisions. In doing so, it has

developed a number of innovative approaches,
from which other cities might usefully learn.
Buenos Aires Agenda Cultural:
agendacultural.buenosaires.gob.ar
Ministry of Culture, City of Buenos Aires:
www.buenosaires.gob.ar/areas/cultura
Buenos Aires Tourism Observatory:
www.turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/es/
observatorio-turistico
85

Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region
Geographical area: 1,104 sq.km
Total population: 7,071,600
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: N/A
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 19.4%
GDP (PPP) million: US$357,475
Percentage creative industries employment:
5.4%

Hong Kong ranks as one of the great urban success

stories of the 20th century. Originally little more
than a fishing village off Chinas southern coast,
Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842. Over
the following decades waves of immigrants from the
mainland steadily transformed it into a thriving city.
The combination of Chinese entrepreneurial flair and
the laissez-faire policies of the British administration
produced one of Asias economic miracles. This
dynamism also found expression in culture. The citys
freewheeling ways made it perhaps the liveliest of all
Chinese-majority cities and Hong Kong has produced
its own distinctive pop genres, from the Bruce Lee
kung-fu films of the 1970s to Cantopop.
Since mainland China began to open up in the
late 1970s, however, and especially since Hong
Kong became a Special Administrative Region of
the Peoples Republic of China in 1997, the city
has become the gateway to the booming economy
opposite: West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Courtesy of WKCDA

of southern China, providing skills and expertise

that the mainland needs. This applies in cultural fields
too: many of Chinas most successful films are actually
co-produced with Hong Kong producers, while Hong
Kongs TV shows and pop music continue to appeal
to Sinosphere audiences. But Hong Kong talent makes
a mark outside the Chinese-speaking world too: several
of Hong Kongs film actors and directors have gone on
to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, among
them Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Wong Kar-wai and
John Woo. The city has also emerged as a major player
in the visual arts business. A number of international
art fairs are held in the city, including Art Basel Hong
Kong, and the citys auction houses have become
globally significant following the huge surge in demand
from the mainland, especially for Chinese art.
Yet Hong Kong is aware it cannot rest on its laurels.
Other cities in the region Beijing, Shanghai,
Singapore and Taipei have major cultural ambitions
while cities like Los Angeles and Vancouver combine
long-established cultural and creative sectors with huge
Chinese migr populations. Hong Kong has therefore
set itself the goal of becoming an international
cultural metropolis with a distinct identity grounded in
Chinese traditions and enriched by different cultures.
The flagship project of this effort is the West
Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD). The vision for the
40 hectare site is for it to become a vibrant cultural
quarter for the city, a platform for local artists to
interact, develop and collaborate, and the site of major
facilities to host and produce world-class exhibitions,
performances and arts and cultural events. The project
has been subject to a number of delays resulting from
87

West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre, Hong Kong Courtesy of HAB

controversies about the proposed design, but when

complete it will feature M+, a museum focusing
on 20th and 21st century visual culture; venues of
varying sizes and configurations for both Chinese
and Western performing arts, and ample green
space. The District will have significant amounts
of space dedicated to rehearsal, administration and
arts education. There will also be retail, hotel and
residential development around the venues to try
and ensure it becomes a vibrant part of town.
The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) of the Hong Kong
government, which is responsible for cultural policy
88

and most arts funding in the city, recognises though

that culture is about more than building new venues,
important as they are. The Bureau works hard to
ensure that the cultural sectors voice is heard when
policies are being debated. It has set up a number
of advisory committees to advise it on cultural
matters, with members drawn from the sector itself,
academia, professional bodies and the community.
Through the HAB the government spends HK$3bn
a year on culture (excluding capital projects), running
libraries, museums and performance venues, as well
as supporting festivals and arts development. While

the city has hundreds of arts groups, there is an

acceptance of the need for more systematic support
to develop the soft infrastructure of peoples skills.
The Academy for Performing Arts has been established
since 1984 the only tertiary institution in Hong
Kong specialising in the performing arts and support
continues for graduate and post-graduate programmes
in the arts at more generalist universities. There is
also a new programme being implemented to train
arts administrators and museum curators, which will
cost HK$150m over the next five years.
Hong Kong also prides itself on being a place
of cultural exchange. This is perhaps most obviously
expressed in its festival and events programme.
These include (to name a few) the Hong Kong Arts
Festival, the Chinese Opera Festival, the Hong Kong
International Film Festival, Le French May, the
International Arts Carnival for family audiences,
New Vision Arts Festival and the World Cultures
Festival, all of them important showcases for their
respective art-forms. Hong Kong also hosts major
events such as the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum,
which is due to be attended by the culture ministers
of 14 Asian countries. To enhance cooperation with
other countries, Hong Kong has signed Memoranda
of Understanding on cultural cooperation with
13 countries so far.
The value of heritage, too, has been emphasised
in Hong Kong. A number of heritage buildings have
been revived for cultural purposes. The government
has recently completed the first territory-wide survey
of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Hong Kong.
Despite these initiatives, the government recognises
that there are challenges to be overcome if Hong Kong
is to achieve its full potential. Two of these stand out.
One is the traditional emphasis of Chinese parents
on their childrens academic education. Yet to succeed

in dance, Chinese opera or classical music, among

other art-forms, requires years of intensive training,
usually from a young age. The government and arts
organisations have worked to change this attitude
by promoting arts to the community, and now believe
that more parents are willing to see their children
pursue their artistic ambitions.
The second big challenge is philanthropy. Although
Hong Kong people and businesses are generous
donors to good causes, these have tended to focus
on education or welfare charities. The HAB has
recently introduced the Arts Capacity Development
Funding Scheme, which includes a springboard grant
with a matching element designed to encourage more
private and corporate donations to the arts sector.
By addressing such challenges Hong Kong aims
to build a physical and human cultural infrastructure
to match its dynamic cultural and creative industries.
The strengths of its civil society the rule of law,
freedom of speech and expression, its cosmopolitan
population and the opportunities provided by the
mainlands economic boom provide a platform on
which Hong Kong can consolidate its reputation as
the place where Chinese and other cultures come
together in the most productive and interesting way.
Home Affairs Bureau: www.hab.gov.hk
Leisure and Cultural Services Department:
www.lcsd.gov.hk
Hong Kong Arts Development Council:
www.hkadc.org.hk

89

Istanbul
Istanbul province
Geographical area: 5,313 sq.km
Total population: 13,624,240
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 18.2%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 9.2%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$13,359
Percentage creative industries employment:
N/A

Istanbul is both an ancient and modern city. Its first

Neolithic settlements date from 8,500 years ago. The
Greeks founded Byzantium there in 700BC, before it
became, as Constantinople, the eastern capital of the
Roman Empire, and then the capital of the Ottoman
Empire for almost five centuries. Now, although
Istanbul is no longer a capital, it is the largest city
of a fast-growing nation-state. Its location on the
Bosporus makes it a bridge between Europe and Asia.
Istanbuls history and thus culture is apparent
in its buildings. The citys architecture mixes Western
and Eastern styles. There are a few surviving Roman
relics, such as the Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern
and Column of Constantine, while the Genoese
bequeathed the Galata Tower. However, it is the
Byzantine and Ottoman buildings which define
the city. Perhaps the most notable Byzantine one
is the Hagia Sophia, which stood as the worlds largest
cathedral for a thousand years, before being turned
into a mosque under Ottoman rule. Today Hagia
90

opposite: Halic, Istanbul

Photo: Bekir Baki Aksu, courtesy of Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Sophia is a museum. The many great Ottoman

buildings include the Topkapi Palace for centuries
the residence and administrative centre of the
Ottoman sultans, now also a museum and the
Blue and Sleymaniye Mosques. The international
significance of many of the sites is recognised by their
inclusion in UNESCOs Historic Areas of Istanbul
World Heritage Site.
Istanbul is, though, very much a modern city
as well. Internal migration from rural parts of Turkey
has led to a surge in the citys population in recent
decades, and it is now home to 20 per cent of
Turkeys people. It generates 22 per cent of the
countrys GDP and takes 40 per cent of its tax
revenues. Almost all of Turkeys major cultural and
creative businesses have their headquarters in the
city, while 49 per cent of visits to museums and
30 per cent of cultural performances in Turkey
take place there.
Istanbuls contemporary culture is attracting
increasing attention. It was one of the European
Capitals of Culture in 2010. Many festivals,
exhibitions and events were held, and two new
museums were developed: the Museum of the
Princes Islands, and the Museum of Innocence,
established by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist
Orhan Pamuk, which uses films, photos and other
memorabilia to document daily life in Istanbul
from the 1950s to the present day.
Istanbuls growing cultural impact is also reflected
in the rising status of its Biennial, which started in
1987. It brings together Turkish and foreign artists,
and has quickly established itself as a major event
91

on the international visual art circuit. Nowadays it

is ranked alongside the older So Paulo and Sydney
biennials in prestige.
The national Ministry of Culture and Tourism
sponsors a range of activity in the city including
theatre and the film industry, as well as festivals,
concerts, exhibitions, conferences and fairs. The
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality also supports
culture, with one of its goals being to spread access
to cultural services out to the citys peripheries.
Istanbuls private sector in the city is also increasingly
involved in culture, with large companies and banks
in particular keen to invest in art.
Cultural policy in Istanbul is shaped by a number
of bodies. The main goals for cultural policy are
to improve access and participation, to help social
cohesion, and to realise economic benefits. However,
the city faces challenges in achieving these ambitions.
Cultural consumption is low, and few people are
in the habit of visiting museums or attending cultural
events. Libraries in particular are under-used. Public
investment has been concentrated on cultural centres
and on restoring cultural heritage. While the city has
a number of public theatres, the OECD has pointed
out that for a city of its size, it possesses a remarkably
low number of small theatres and other purpose-built
spaces for arts, literature and music. The OECD
also thought Istanbul was not exploiting its cultural
heritage assets sufficiently.
That said, the city also has considerable strengths
its growing wealth, its position as Turkeys cultural
leader and pioneer, and the increasing interest in the
arts and culture, and most of all, its young, dynamic
population. Istanbul is tapping into this energy and
dynamism by rapidly integrating with other cities
of culture, and its policymakers are positioning it
as a global city.
92

opposite: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Photo: Gungor Ozsoy, courtesy of Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality:

www.ibb.gov.tr/en-US
Istanbul Foundation For Culture And Arts:
www.iksv.org/en

93

Johannesburg-Gauteng
Gauteng province
Geographical area: 18,178 sq.km
Total population: 11,328,203
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 22.4%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 32%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$9,710
Percentage creative industries employment:
4.5%

Johannesburg-Gauteng1 is uniquely positioned

as a city-region that straddles the developed and
developing world, and serves as a creative, cultural
and commercial gateway to the rest of the continent.
It is a driver and hub for cultural and creative
production, generating new cultural forms, new
modes of production and consumption, and new
organisational and business models.
The culture of the city has been profoundly shaped
by the years of apartheid. How to deal with the legacy
of that time remains the single greatest challenge
to the citys cultural policymakers. Are Western
and African notions of culture distinct or different
expressions of universal values? Should Johannesburg
try to compete with other world cities, adopting
a similar agenda, or should it follow its own path?
And as Johannesburg itself changes it has become
a magnet for immigrants from across Africa, for
instance how can its culture reflect those changes?
The city in a sense has a blank canvas on which to work
94

opposite: Courtesy of Gauteng Tourism Authority

to respond to these questions as the Johannesburg

DJ/experimental rock outfit, BLK JKS Soundsystem,
says the city is here, asking us to shape it.
For now at least, cultural policy in the city (and
the wider Gauteng city-region) prioritises a balanced
approach to social and economic development, as
well as destination marketing. As the arts, culture
and heritage directorate of the City of Johannesburg
puts it: the Directorate is largely driven by an agenda
that sees its key output being its capacity to impact
favourably on social cohesion, the reduction of
poverty and the rapid transformation of the apartheid
City legacy.
Johannesburg-Gauteng seems in some respects to
be two cities when it comes to culture. The city is part
of the international cultural scene in some aspects
of high culture. It has produced a number of notable
artists, writers, actors and filmmakers; while some of
its cultural organisations, such as the Market theatre,
have acquired international reputations for their work.
For now at least, though, consumption of such art
remains concentrated among the wealthier segments
of society, especially the top ten per cent.
Johannesburgs attitude to cultural development is
shaped by its desire to boost participation among the
other 90 per cent. It has sought to do so particularly
through promoting festivals and carnival
1. Johannesburg now forms part of one continuous urban
development which includes three Metros (Johannesburg,
shwane and Ekurhuleni) and two District Municipalities (Sedibeng
and West Rand) within the Gauteng province, and a number of
municipalities around Gauteng. This emergent megacity has
acquired a distinct identity as the Gauteng City Region and has
become increasingly important in policymaking terms.

95

programming, and the development of cultural

infrastructure in under-served parts of the city-region.
While the creation of new infrastructure has been
a priority, new considerations related to investment
in people and activity and the maximising of existing
infrastructure are increasingly being foregrounded.
There have been several major developments in
cultural facilities since 1994. In particular, a new
heritage infrastructure has been realised, one which
better reflects the history of South Africas people and
the struggle against apartheid. Among the key sites are
Constitution Hill, the location of a former prison where
Nelson Mandela was once held and now home to three
museums and the Constitutional Court; Freedom Park
in Tshwane, which includes a memorial and museum
telling the story of South Africa; the Hector Pieterson
Memorial and museum, which commemorates the
history of the Soweto uprising of 1976; the Apartheid
Museum; the Maropeng/Cradle of Humankind world
heritage site; Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown in
Soweto; the Human Rights Precinct in Sedibeng,
and Chancellor House, the original office of Nelson
Mandelas law firm. Johannesburg is also building
a Holocaust and Genocide Centre.
There are a handful of other cultural venues under
development, sometimes undertaken in partnership
with the private sector. They include a new art gallery
in Sandton and a Centre for Contemporary Design
on the east end of the old inner city. The most notable
is the Soweto theatre. This striking building is the
first theatre to be built in a township, and is part of an
effort to raise the quality of life in Soweto to compare
with the rest of Johannesburg. It contains three
theatre spaces, the largest of which has 630 seats,
and an outdoor amphitheatre, which can accommodate
3,500. It will be a flagship for the growth in cultural
activity Soweto is seeing.
96

Like most other world cities JohannesburgGauteng is also keen to promote festivals and events:
examples include Joburg Art Fair, Dance Umbrella,
Joy of Jazz, and Arts Alive, as well as carnivals and
the Food-Wine-Design Fair. There are also efforts
underway to improve libraries and strengthen arts
development organisations.
The city-region has also developed a number of
creative and cultural precincts neighbourhoods
with a mix of residential, retail and office
developments which act as hubs for the incubation,
production and consumption of creative and cultural
goods and services. These precincts Newtown,
Maboneng, Auckland Park, and Juta Street are
perhaps the best-known involve a mix of public
and private investment and bring together informal
and formal culture, embodying some of the most
dynamic aspects of Johannesburgs culture.
In some sectors, such as music, dance and film,
a Nollywood model of production is emerging,
based on low-cost but large-scale production, aimed
primarily at a domestic (or Africa-wide) audience.
(Nollywood is the nickname for the Nigerian film
industry, which pioneered this model.) As Africa
grows richer, such models have the potential to
create distinctively African forms of mass culture.
The economic value of these industries is increasingly
being recognised in Johannesburg, a city which
suffers from high rates of under-employment and
unemployment.
Much attention has been given to research and
policymaking in Johannesburg and Gauteng over
the last decade. One of the results of this has been
an ambitious and ongoing programme of public
art development in the Johannesburg Metro based
on a percent for art model. Another area that has
received major attention is creative and cultural

Soweto Theatre, Johannesburg Photo: Peter Hassall

industries development. A mapping study in 2008

generated an evidence base for a Creative Industries
Development Framework for the city-region. This has
led to targeted support from the Gauteng government
for a range of industry development initiatives and
institutions such as the Gauteng Film Commission,
the Joburg Art Fair, Moshito (a music business
think-tank-cum-expo) and SA Fashion Week, all
of which have played a powerful role in promoting
Gauteng as a nexus for both creative commerce
and business intelligence.
The rationalisation of the city-regions strategic
heritage and cultural tourism infrastructure and
the collaboration between government departments
responsible for tourism and arts and culture,
has sought to give impetus to the review and
implementation of the aforementioned framework.
The development of a national Heritage and Cultural
Tourism Strategy, designed to guide and provide

direction to the development and promotion

of heritage and cultural tourism, has also brought
related policy and marketing issues into sharper
focus within the city-region. Cultural tourism is now
being prioritised through the implementation of the
Gauteng Tourism Sector Strategy.
For the city-region, culture has often been a way
to address some of the bitter legacies of its singular
history. The challenge for it now is to find ways
to effectively tap into the other potential benefits
culture can offer its people, while not neglecting
its healing role in society. Its policymakers, artists
and audiences have the opportunity to reimagine
the city to follow their own path to create
something unique.
Gauteng Tourism Authority: www.gauteng.net
Gauteng City-Region Observatory: www.gcro.ac.za
Johannesburg Live: www.jhblive.com
97

London
Greater London
Geographical area: 1,572 sq.km
Total population: 7,825,200
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 12.6%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 41.9%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$65,800
Percentage creative industries employment:
12%

London is a city that combines a sense of history with

cutting-edge creativity and a dynamic pop culture.
As one of the most cosmopolitan and tolerant capitals
in the world today, it attracts a genuine diversity
of people from radical activists to business leaders,
intellectuals to fashionistas.
The city was already emerging as an international
centre of trade and commerce 400 years ago. Its
power only grew over the following centuries, as
it became an imperial capital with the establishment
of the British Empire, before the Industrial Revolution
further fuelled its growth in the nineteenth century.
This led to London becoming the worlds largest city
by population by 1900, with 6.7 million residents.
The twentieth century was a period of dramatic
change for the city. Two world wars the second
of which saw London repeatedly bombed the loss
of Empire, mass immigration, and the emergence of
the City as a global centre of finance have transformed
the capital. London is now one of the most connected
opposite: Shakespeares Globe theatre (interior), London
Photo: John Tramper

and diverse cities on the planet and is a key node

in global finance and commercial networks. These
global links help make London an outward-looking city,
and are increasingly seen as a source of creative ideas
and energy: Londons excellent art and design schools,
for instance, have attracted a wave of foreign talent,
many of whom have chosen to stay.
In culture too London is a powerhouse. From
Shakespeares time it has been perhaps the worlds most
important city for theatre, while its great writers, from
Chaucer to Johnson to Dickens, have helped shape
the development of new literary forms. The city is now
a major centre for a host of other art forms, including
music, dance and art, while its leading museums and
galleries are among the most visited in the world.
For London, the challenge will be maintaining
its status as a leading player in global culture at
a time when Britain must compete economically with
emerging nations, and there are reductions in public
subsidy for the arts. The opportunity, conversely,
is for culture and the creative industries to make
London a more attractive place to live, work, invest
in, and visit, supporting growth more generally.
Culture is strongly supported in the city: the Mayor
of Londons Cultural Strategy says that arts and culture
are fundamental hallmarks of a civilised society and
all governments have a responsibility to invest in and
support them for the common good of their citizens.
Opinion poll evidence also suggests that Londoners
value their citys cultural life highly.
The 2012 Games helped reinforce Londoners
pride in their citys culture. It delivered the biggest
ever Cultural Olympiad culminating with the London
99

Powerless Structures, Fig.101 2012 by Elmgreen and Dragset, for the Mayor of Londons Fourth Plinth Programme
Photo: James OJenkins

2012 Festival, a ten-week cultural celebration of

culture across the city. The festival acted both as
a showcase for London talent and as an opportunity
to bring many international artists to the city. The
Games have also left a significant cultural legacy,
notably the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, one of the
largest new urban parks in Europe for many years and
now a major new venue for events and festivals, and
Anish Kapoors major new sculpture, the ArcelorMittal
Orbit at the centre of the Olympic Park, which has
the potential to become a new visitor attraction.
During 2012, as with all Olympic host cities, London
experienced tourism displacement, which had a knock
100

on affect on visitor numbers to the citys cultural

institutions. However, Londons global image improved
as a direct result of hosting the 2012 Games and the
Cultural Olympiad, with London now ranked fourth for
culture (Nation Brand Index). Work is now being done
to ensure that culture remains at the heart of the story
that London is telling the world about the Olympics.
London has several strengths. Critical mass is one.
As the data tables suggest, London has a huge stock
of cultural assets, and efforts continue to strengthen
that cultural legacy. Thanks to both National Lottery
funding and private sector support, a range of major
venues have either been built or refurbished in the last

1015 years. These include the Great Court of the

British Museum, the Royal Opera House, Tate Modern,
Kings Place, the Whitechapel Gallery, the British Film
Institute, the Roundhouse, the Circus Space in Hoxton
and the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome). Some
ambitious schemes are still underway, such as further
extensions at the British Museum, Tate Modern and the
refurbishment of Tate Britain. There is also an increasing
focus on improvements to the built environment around
major sites. Exhibition Road, the home of three national
museums, has recently undergone a major redesign
to create a much more pedestrian-friendly location
and improve visitors experiences.
Over the last 20 years, the publicly funded sector
has also diversified its sources of income, developing
a healthy commercial instinct and ability to raise funds,
which enables it to be more resilient than counterparts
in other cities.
Informal street culture also continues to be
a major source of strength. The last decade has seen
a growth in festivals, carnivals and fairs. Examples
include music festivals such as the Wireless festival
in Hyde Park, Lovebox in Victoria Park, the Mayors
Thames Festival and the Greenwich and Docklands
International Festival. These have added to longestablished celebrations, notably the Notting Hill
Carnival, now thought to be Europes biggest such
event, and New Years Eve, which has been given
a new focal point at the London Eye.
Commercially oriented art fairs have also emerged
in recent years, including the Frieze Art Fair, which has
become a major stop on the worlds visual art circuit,
and Collect, which has quickly become a globally
significant event for high-end craft. Art projects
in the public realm, like the temporary commissions
on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square have also
significantly grown in importance.

Other strengths of the city include the high quality

of design, art and fashion schools: the London Design
Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012 and
the model has been copied elsewhere, while London
Fashion Week is part of the international fashion
calendar alongside Paris, New York and Milan.
The size and commercial dynamism of its creative
industries (film production, inward investment and
box office all broke the 1 billion barrier for the
first time in 2011) and its dense, heavily-used public
transport infrastructure, which is currently being
upgraded, are equally strengths the city can draw
on. There is also a strong concern to continually
champion cultural education and the importance
of home-grown talent. Further areas for development
include maximising the potential of cultural tourism,
and developing a more balanced cultural offer and
participation across the whole of London, rather than
just in the central zone.
A final, immensely significant strength is Londons
diversity and youthful energy. The sheer number of
cultures in London perhaps gives it a different feel
from other cities more free, more tolerant, and
more relaxed about difference. The Mayor of London
recognises the value of this diversity and energy, and
has a programme in place to support festivals such
as Chinese New Year, St Patricks Day, and Vaisakhi,
as well as new initiatives such as Shubbak, a festival
of contemporary Arab culture.
Culture, then, adds to Londons social and
economic dynamism and can also address wider
challenges in society. It can reinforce the citys appeal
to global talent while maintaining the citys appeal
to tourists and residents alike.
Greater London Authority: www.london.gov.uk
London & Partners: www.londonandpartners.com
101

Los Angeles
Los Angeles County
Geographical area: 10,510 sq.km
Total population: 9,818,605
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 3.18%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 29.2%
GDP (PPP) million: US$747,306
Percentage creative industries employment:
5.4%

Los Angeles (LA) is famous as the global capital

of the entertainment industry. For almost a century,
its companies have dominated the film business,
attracting talent from across the world. LA has also
been a major player in TV, music and publishing, and
today the creative industries are the fourth-largest
economic sector in the region. Yet the city was
perceived for decades to be something of a cultural
desert. In the last twenty years or so that image has
changed, partly as local businesspeople have endowed
the city with notable cultural institutions, and partly
through the efforts of its vast and cosmopolitan
population. Los Angeles is now home to world-class
art collections, more than 200 museums, major
concert halls and important artists in almost every
cultural field.
The major challenge that cultural policymakers
face in Los Angeles is the fragmented nature of
the regions administration. The United States is
a decentralised country in any case, without a formal

national cultural policy, but Los Angeles is unusual

even in the US. LA County consists of 88 municipalities
(among them the City of Los Angeles itself, Beverley
Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood), each of
which is free to adopt their own approach. Twenty-four
of the municipalities have a cultural affairs department
or an arts commission, for instance. There are, however,
a number of county-wide bodies to provide support
and guidance. Two are particularly important: the
Los Angeles County Arts Commission, which provides
advice on cultural policy-making, and Arts for LA,
a nonprofit advocacy organisation which aims to
increase support for the arts in the County.
The focus of cultural policy in the municipalities
reflects the huge importance of the creative industries
to the regions life, with a concentration on tourism,
economic development and marketing. LA City, for
example, has a transient occupancy tax (a tax on hotel
rooms) which provides funding for the arts and the
LA Tourism and Convention Board, also a city agency
and the most important such agency in the region.
To date, there have been sporadic attempts to create
a cohesive marketing strategy for the region; one
of these was LA Tourism Boards campaign Discover
the Arts in 2012, which offered half-price admittance
to fifty cultural institutions, however plans are in the
works to greatly expand these efforts.
The administrative fragmentation means that
partnerships and collaboration are hugely important
in the cultural sector they are often the only way
to create effective region-wide initiatives. In late 2011,
for example, the Getty Museum launched Pacific
Standard Time: Arts in LA 19451980, a project in

opposite: Degas Ballerinas Sierra Madre Grade3: Arts for All, Sierra Madre Elementary Photo: Gary Leonard

103

Walt Disney Concert Hall Photo: Henry Salazar Courtesy of County of Los Angeles

which 60 institutions and 75 galleries co-operated

to put on simultaneous exhibitions and performances
showcasing the work of more than 1,300 artists.
A similar series of programmes, lasting ten weeks
and involving 120 organisations, was built around LAs
first production of Wagners full Ring cycle in 2010.
LA is also seeing the arts being used to deliver
wider social objectives. The Arts Commission funded
a pilot for arts organisations to work with homeless
people, and has worked with social services to provide
low-income families with free access to museums
and galleries and develop innovative strategies to
combat graffiti vandalism.
104

Private donors are continuing to help enrich

the citys stock of cultural infrastructure. The Frank
Gehry-designed Walt Disney Hall opened ten years
ago, transforming the downtown area. This year
the Broad Museum will open to house the major
art collection of Eli and Edythe Broad. Substantial
donations of both money and art continue to be made
to the likes of the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art (LACMA) and Huntington Library, which contains
the areas largest botanical garden.
In a region so steeped in the entertainment
business, engagement with the arts is part of everyday
life. Organisations such as the Music Center have

helped to blur the divide between formal and fringe

activities with their particular take on engagement.
The Centers public programmes focus on the creativity
of amateurs, using the arts to build community.
Similarly, The James Irvine Foundation (the largest
private philanthropic funder in California) announced
a new funding strategy in 2011 designed to help
its grantees focus on underserved communities and
to use non-traditional spaces.
Festivals and parades are also important to
LA. Pasadenas annual Tournament of Roses,
held on New Years Day, includes marching bands
and floats decorated in flowers, and attracts
700,000 spectators. Glow is a night-time art event,
modelled on Paris Nuit Blanche, which takes place
on Santa Monica Beach, while the Hollywood Fringe
Festival provides free community-generated theatre
events more than 200 of them in 20 venues.
Los Angeles is, of course, also home to several of
the entertainment industrys most important awards
ceremonies the Oscars, the Emmys, the Golden
Globes and numerous industry trade fairs, such
as E3 and the American Film Market, as well as
many film festivals.
Despite such high-profile events, it seems clear
that the regions fragmentation has real disadvantages
for culture in the city. The economist Anne Markusen
has argued that, while LA is believed to have the
largest number of working artists of any American
metropolitan region, it lacks the kind of artist-centred
policies around training, career planning, marketing
and space provision that many other American cities
have adopted. She believes the absence of such
policies could make a big difference to the future
success of LAs arts and creative industries. The
2012 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the
Los Angeles Region, meanwhile, expresses concerns

over a growing lack of skilled workers on which LAs

creative economy can draw.
A number of efforts are being made to tackle these
problems. Again, these are done through partnerships.
The Los Angeles Coalition, an association of leaders
from business, entertainment, arts bodies and labour
unions is trying to find ways to make LAs economy,
especially its creative economy, more competitive.
There has also been a big push in the last decade
to establish all arts disciplines in the core curriculum
across the countys school districts. Created by
the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Arts
for All currently works with 54 of the regions 81
school districts (another tier of public administration
in the region). It aims to ensure that arts education
is both of a high quality and is integrated into the
new project-based learning approach being taken
up in the US. Arts for All works with more than
25 private, corporate and foundation funders to
deliver this programme.
Los Angeles, then, stands in an interesting
place culturally. Its strengths its huge entertainment
industry, the size and diversity of its population,
the generosity of key philanthropists have helped
it to a position of global significance, yet its decen
tralised nature means that it lacks the tools that
other cities have used to drive cultural policy.
Instead it has developed its own unique model based
on collaborations and partnerships that embrace
the public, business and non-profit sectors. The
resulting cultural offer is as varied as the city itself.
Los Angeles County Arts Commission:
www.lacountyarts.org
Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board:
www.discoverlosangeles.com

105

Madrid
City of Madrid
Geographical area: 604.31 sq.km
Total population: 3,166,130
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 6.78%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 31.93%
GDP (PPP) million: US$ 175,504
Percentage creative industries employment:
9%

Madrid has been Spains capital for some 450 years,

and was an imperial capital for more than 300
years, yet much of the current city has developed
only in the last hundred. Since the early 20th
century Madrid has grown enormously, as it rapidly
industrialised and drew in large numbers of migrants
from both rural Spain and other countries. Following
the restoration of democracy in 1978 its culture
boomed with la movida, an explosive counter culture
movement that celebrated the newfound freedom
of speech and expression. More recently, Madrids
culture has benefited from the dynamism of the wider
Spanish-speaking world and the city remains a major
cultural force.
In particular, Madrid is home to one of Europes
great museum clusters, in Recoletos-PradoEmbajadores. Three major museums the Prado, the
Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofa
house some of the worlds most important art works,
from Velzquezs Las Meninas and Goyas Black
106

Carnaval en Cibeles Photo: Vernica P. Granado, Courtesy of Madrid City Council

Paintings to Picassos Guernica. The city also has many

other notable cultural treasures, including the Royal
Botanical Gardens, the Royal Academy of Fine Art
and the Royal Palace.
The citys contemporary culture too is lively.
Madrid has, for instance, 112 theatres, 244 cinema
screens, 299 art galleries and more than 90 live
music venues. There are a large number of festivals
and events, including international contemporary art
fairs as ARCOmadrid, Summa or Estampa, performing
arts festivals such as MADferia, Festival de Otoo
a Primavera (Autum to Spring Festival), Veranos de
la Villa (City Summers Festival), Madrid Jazz Festival,
Madrid Fringe Festival, the European Day of Music,
La Feria del Libro (the Book Fair), and the
documentary film festival, Documenta Madrid, one
of 24 film festivals in the city. In addition, during
religious festivities and popular street fairs, known
as "Fiesta Mayor", many processions and parades
take place throughout the city, including Christmas,
La Cabalgata de Reyes (The Three Kings Parade),
Carnival, Holy Week and San Isidros Day.
Madrid is also keen to make the most of its
international links. It had a successful year as
European Capital of Culture in 1992, and presides
over the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI)
which, among other things, is responsible for choosing
the Ibero-American Capital of Culture annually.
Given the current economic crisis, public budgets
devoted to cultural affairs have been supplemented
by seeking alternative sources of income. The city
is looking to draw on networks and partnerships to
make better use of technical, human and economic
107

Matadero Madrid Photo: Miguel de Guzman Courtesy of Madrid City Council

resources, as it recognises that the ways culture

is produced, consumed and shared nowadays is
changing: audiences want to take a more active role,
enabled by new technologies. In this line of action,
the Madrid City Council launchedin 2007 the Centre
for Contemporary Creation Matadero Madrid, a
multidisciplinary cultural space whose management
model is based on public-private cooperation,
promoting the participation of society and thus
ensuring its plurality, independence and viability.
Two other world-class culture centres are managed
by Madrid City Council. First, CentroCentro, located
in the Town Hall main site, has been remodeled to
108

become one of the favorite spaces for neighbors

and visitors. Conde Duque Cultural Centre, a former
military barracks that is now a landmark in the cultural
life of the city, hosting several leading institutions
in this domain, is also worth mentioning.
So Madrid continues to value cultures role. The
City Council seeks to encourage an open culture
governed by principles of respect and free thinking,
while supporting social and territorial cohesion. As
such, it focuses its efforts in three areas in particular.
First, it is looking to even out the levels of
participation and engagement in culture across the
neighbourhoods and districts of the city, aiming to

ensure that culture is accessible to all residents

(including those of different nationalities) and that
use of the existing cultural infrastructure is optimised.
It also hopes to encourage the use of public spaces
as places for sharing with others and for culture.
Second, it wants to preserve and enhance cultural
heritage and the quality of the urban landscape,
including by enabling access to heritage assets
through the use of new digital and communication
technologies. Madrid has many historic buildings,
monuments and parks that trace back to its history
as capital of Spain for more than five centuries. One
measure the City Council is taking is to try and have
the Sitio del Retiro y el Prado (the Site of the Retiro
and the Prado in Madrid) declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO under the category of Cultural
Landscape of Outstanding Universal Value. The Site
of the Retiro and the Prado represent some of the
most important historical buildings and gardens of
the city. If this is achieved, it would be the "first site
ever to receive such distinction in Madrid City".
The third focus is on economic development.
The city recognises the importance of the cultural
and creative industries and their potential contribution
to economic recovery. The city provides support
for high quality cultural projects that promote
employment, collaborates with other public and
private sector bodies to develop municipal cultural
activity, boosts new models of financing, and seeks
to establish Madrid as a first-rate international cultural
tourist destination. The city also tries to help new
cultural entrepreneurs through such routes as
providing spaces, programming their projects in
municipal halls, or collaborating with private venues.
Among other projects,Matadero Madridstarted
Zinc Shower two years ago, athree-day fair
aiming to gather businessentrepreneurs, cultural

project managers, institutions,sponsors and

generalpublic.
These efforts are bearing fruit. The city now
also has more than 40 co-working spaces, many
of which are used by creative businesses, while
a number of city districts have a reputation as creative
zones or hubs, including Lavapis, Barrio de Las
Letras and Tetun.
Madrids approach to culture trying to maximise
the efficient use of its remaining resources to spread
the social and economic benefits of culture as widely
as possible across the city is a model that other
cities in similar positions may be able to learn from.
Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport:
http://www.mecd.gob.es/portada-mecd/en/
Region of Madrid Cultural Agenda:
http://www.madrid.org/agenda-cultural/
Madrid Official Tourism Website:
http://www.esmadrid.com/en/

109

Montral
Montral Agglomeration
Geographical area: 624 sq.km
Total population: 1,886,481
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 5.6%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 35.17%
GDP (PPP) million: US$88,493
Percentage creative industries employment:
13.3%

Montral is a city with multiple cultural identities,

which are sometimes at odds with each other.
It is the largest city of French-speaking Qubec in
predominantly Anglophone Canada, and a Canadian
city in American-dominated North America. Yet
it is also home to Qubecs largest English-speaking
population, and to sizeable immigrant communities
from non-French speaking countries (33% of the
citys people are foreign-born). In a city where cultural
identity is so bound up with language, developing
a coherent response to the cultural challenges that
all large urban centres face can be a fraught and
politicised process.
Montrals cultural strategy tries to address these
dilemmas by focusing on democratising access to
culture. Cultural organisers are considered to be
cultural mediators, striving to make everyone feel
they are active participants in Montrals cultural
output. The City is a leading force in the Committee
for Culture of United Cities and Local Governments
opposite: Le bal de Bozo, Montral Karnaval
Photo: Claude Dufresne, courtesy of Ville de Montral

(UCLG), and is committed to implementing

UCLGs Agenda 21 for culture, which promotes the
recognition of culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable
development, along with the environment, social
inclusion and economics. Montral became the first
city to support this idea. In 2005 the City drew on
Agenda 21 to establish a Cultural Development Policy:
Montral, Cultural Metropolis. In turn, this led in 2007
to the City of Montral joining forces with Culture
Montral (an independent civil organisation acting
as the Regional Cultural Council), the Board of Trade
of Metropolitan Montral, the Government of Qubec
and the Government of Canada to form a steering
committee to design the citys road map for cultural
development, the 20072017 Action Plan Montral,
Cultural Metropolis. Such a partnership had not
happened before in any sector. This group has met
twice a year since to follow up on its targets. 2017,
the final year of the Action Plan, will coincide with
three important celebrations: the 375th anniversary of
Montrals founding, the 50th anniversary of Expo 67
and the 150th anniversary of Canadas confederation.
Two of the main planks of the Action Plan are
investment in cultural infrastructure and better
funding of arts organisations, including a new $125m
programme to redevelop the citys libraries and plans
for the revitalisation of the Quartier des Spectacles,
the citys entertainment and creative district. This
square kilometre of the city is home to over 80 cultural
venues with 28,000 seats in 30 performance spaces,
450 cultural organisations and 7,000 jobs related
to culture. It includes the Place des Arts Canadas
leading cultural complex with six different concert
111

Le Grand continental, Festival Transamriques Photo: Robert Etcheverry 2011, courtesy of Ville de Montral

and theatre halls and the Place des Festivals, a key

public space to host the citys major festivals. The City
has also created the Rseau Accs Culture, a network
of 24 municipal cultural venues spread across all of
Montrals 19 districts, to promote cultural outreach.
While many world cities have been struggling
with the need for spending cuts, the Citys financial
contribution to the Conseil des arts de Montral,
a not-for-profit body providing support to arts
companies, has increased by 5% every year since
2009. The City is also working on diversifying the
financial resources that are available for cultural
development. In 2013, the Qubec government
112

established a task force on cultural philanthropy to

respond to the low level of private sector donations,
which are significantly lower in Montral than in many
other North American cities.
Drawing on its designation as a UNESCO City of
Design in 2006, the Citys cultural policy also makes
determined efforts to ensure that culture is embedded
into the development of its physical surroundings.
The City was a pioneer of public art policies with its
1989 Action Plan for Public Art, and now considers
public art a key element of its future international
cultural positioning, as well as a tool for mobilising the
private sector as art sponsors/patrons. Heritage is also

very high on the Citys agenda. Heritage policies

are designed to involve all Montral residents to help
them understand the citys history.
The City of Montral regards culture as the basis of
its global brand image. The tourism agency, Tourisme
Montral, heavily promotes Montrals festivals,
arguably the citys most distinctive cultural assets.
Visitors have the opportunity to attend a professional
festival in all bar two months of the year. The city
hosts three world-leading festivals: the Montral
International Jazz Festival; Les FrancoFolies de
Montral, a festival of French music; and the Festival
Juste pour rire/Just for Laughs, the worlds largest
international comedy festival. Many other festivals
provide opportunities to celebrate the contribution of
diverse ethnic communities; these include the Festival
des Nuits d'Afrique and the Festival du Monde Arabe.
Montrals creative sector is also sizeable. Unlike
many global cities, which are defined by a few worldclass cultural institutions, Montral sees itself as
a city of hundreds of cultural SMEs. Access to higher
education and the relatively low cost of living in
Montral have attracted creatives from around the
world. For example, only one of the seven members
of the citys best-known rock band, Arcade Fire,
is originally from Montral. The city is a global leader
in the video games industry, which employs almost
7,500 people. The City is also keen to foster fringe
and alternative cultural activities, which it sees as
essential source of cultural dynamism. Cirque du Soleil,
for instance, which is based in Montral and is now
the largest theatrical producer in the world, was
founded by two former street performers. The City
tries to allow space for serendipity in its cultural
policy. Chance cultural encounters are encouraged
through projects like the dissemination of pianos and
micro-libraries throughout Montrals urban milieu.

Montral, then, has tried to use culture as

a way to integrate a diverse and sometimes divided
city. It has done so, though, in an inclusive way, by
celebrating both the different heritages of its people
and the many different types of culture, both formal
and informal. This approach may offer a model
for other cities grappling with similar challenges.
Culture Ville de Montral:
www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/culture
Montral mtropole culturelle:
www.montrealmetropoleculturelle.org
Tourisme Montral: www.tourisme-montreal.org

113

Moscow
City of Moscow
Geographical area: 2,511 sq.km
Total population: 12,108,257
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 8.29%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 43%
GDP (PPP) million: US$ 382,700

Moscow has been one of the centres of Russian

culture for centuries. A distinctive style of architecture
evolved there, seen in the likes of St Basils Cathedral
and the Kremlin, ZIL Culture Center and the Seven
Sisters skyscrapers. It is home to many of the
countrys most important institutions, including the
Tretyakov gallery, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts,
and the Bolshoi Ballet and Opera. In the 20th century
hundreds of public libraries and museums, and many
theatres, exhibit halls, parks and other cultural
institutions were opened in Moscow to give Soviet
people access to the arts and collective leisure
facilities. The iron curtain isolated the city from
international artistic trends, but it also allowed for
various unique Russian styles of art to emerge and
develop. Upon the breakup of the USSR economic
problems provoked profound neglect of cultural
institutions. Only in the last three years has this
started to change.
Moscow has a very large stock of cultural
organisations and buildings. It has 500 libraries, more
than 360 museums, nearly 600 cinema screens, and
114

opposite: Courtesy of Moscow Institute for Social and Cultural Programs

182 theatres. Although most museums and theatres

are in the city centre, libraries, cinemas and cultural
centres are dispersed all over Moscow creating great
potential to develop culture in the urban periphery.
However the city has grown significantly and there is
a serious need for cultural institutions in new districts.
Public sector still dominates cultural life in the city.
Most of the largest institutions are federally-funded
by the central government. The city governments
Department of Culture supports much of the day-today culture: museums, libraries, theatres, concert
halls, culture centres, art schools, parks and cinemas,
etc. It is only recently that private-sector cultural
institutions have started to emerge, such as the
Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art, the Artplay
Centre for Design, the Garage Museum of
Contemporary Art, the Institute for Media,
Architecture and Design Strelka, and the Hebrew
Museum and Tolerance Center.
A number of major attractions, such as the
Bolshoi theatre, the Historical Museum, Gorky Park
and Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy
territories, have undergone extensive restorations,
and some new facilities have been built, such as
the Moscow International Performing Arts Centre,
a classical music venue that opened in 2003.
However, the challenges facing the cultural sector
were such that in 2011 the city government decided
to take a new approach to cultural policy. It is shaped

in large part by a desire to address the legacies of

the previous system.

115

Tsaritsino Courtesy of Moscow Institute for Social and Cultural Programs

One priority, for example, is to decentralise cultural

activity in Moscow. In the last 20 years cultural life has
increasingly focused on the city centre: the federal
cultural institutions received the largest share of
public funding, while the countrys economic problems
restricted the growth of privately owned cultural
organisations. Big events marking public holidays were
held on the main streets and squares in the central
part of the city. As a result, about 90% of the citys
population lived in areas with few cultural activities.
The policy of decentralisation is designed to develop
the leisure and additional (art) education offer for
children and adults outside the central part of the city,
116

and a grants programme has been developed for

cultural projects in the urban periphery. The
programme of festivals and events has been changed,
too, to increase its variety and to involve more places
across Moscow. The programme for City Day, for
example, takes into account the results of an internet
poll of residents.
A second key element is modernisation. The
state-owned cultural infrastructure lost a large part of
its funding as a result of changes in economic policy in
the 90s. The cultural offer of many institutions
became increasingly outdated, unable to meet the
needs and expectations of Moscows citizens, and the

fabric of buildings deteriorated. A major programme to

modernise the premises and equipment of the cultural
institutions and to renovate open spaces in Moscow is
therefore underway, financed mainly from the city and
federal budgets. It includes the construction and
development of pedestrian areas, the improvement of
parks and the renovation of museums, cultural centres
and libraries.
The city is also trying to pay special attention to
children and the elderly. More than half of the major
cultural institutions now target children as a priority
group. One major initiative is the Children University
based at the Polytechnical Museum, which offers
additional learning opportunities for children of
preschool and school age delivered through university
methods. The elderly are also benefitting from extra
support. There are reduced rates for tickets for
pensioners, while the city organises festivals for war
veterans and others.
Moscow does not differ from any fast growing
megalopolis with turbulent history, and the
preservation of architectural heritage is a pressing
issue for the city. Moscow lost many historic and
religious buildings after the February Revolution of
1917. While a handful have been re-built, including
the Kazan Cathedral on the Red Square, these losses
have continued in post-Soviet times: developers have
pulled down buildings across Moscow, especially in
the city centre, to make way for apartments and
hotels. The city government is now trying to monitor
and restrain such demolitions. Archnadzor, a pressure
group, tracks the condition of buildings and objects of
cultural and architectural value, and raises awareness
of violations of the law.
The city is also making efforts to improve the
quality and nature of cultural management.
Institutions are being provided with greater autonomy,

and many are starting gradually to attract new people

with private-sector experience. Moscows Department
of Culture is introducing a funding system through
grants, which is due to be opened up soon to nonprofit organisations as well as public ones. The
Moscow Institute for Social and Cultural Programs is
collecting data for cultural institutions and creates
guidelines for high-quality design, while a number of
universities have launched courses in cultural studies
or management. The Department of Culture itself has
established a new executive search programme for
cultural institutions.
These steps have paid off. Attendance at renovated
cultural institution grows. Every city festival attracts
people who havent taken part in Moscows cultural
life before. 15% of people who attend Moscow City
Day events say that this is their first time at a city
festival and that they enjoy it. However, there remains
a huge backlog of work to address, both in repairs
to infrastructure and in modernising management
practices. If the present cultural policy evolves
consistently, Moscow will have a cultural sector
worthy of a great Eurasian metropolis.
Moscow Department of Culture
http://www.mos.ru/en/authority/activity/culture/
Moscow Culture Forum
http://www.moscowcultureforum.ru/index.
php?lang=en
Moscow Institute for Social and Cultural Programs
http://www.miscp.ru/

117

Mumbai
Municipal Corporation of
Greater Mumbai
Geographical area: 437.1 sq.km
Total population: 12,432,830
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 1%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: N/A
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$10,800
Percentage creative industries employment:
16%

Mumbais journey to becoming one of the worlds

great cities began under colonial rule. After more than
a century under the Portuguese, the islands on which
the city stood were transferred to the British in 1668,
and then leased to the British East India Company,
who moved their headquarters there some 20 years
later. The citys status as a commercial hub was thus
established early, and underpinned its subsequent
development. Its port became one of the most
important in the region, and traders from across the
sub-continent were drawn to live and work there. The
city continued to expand after Indian independence
and is the largest in the country. It was renamed
Mumbai in 1996.
While Mumbais foreign-born population remains
relatively small by the standards of other world cities,
it is nevertheless a very diverse city, having drawn
people of many ethnicities and religions from all over
India. This diversity and resultant mixing of ideas is
opposite: Gateway of India, Mumbai
Courtesy of Abdul Shaban, Tata Institute of Social Sciences

credited with being the spark for Bollywood the

Hindi film industry which is centred on Mumbai, and
is one of the largest in the world. Mumbai is also the
leading centre of the Marathi film industry. Bollywood
grew out of an idiosyncratic mix of factors in Mumbai
the presence of Parsi entrepreneurs, the legacy of
Parsi theatre, the availability of capital in the city, and
its multicultural ethos, among other things. Bollywood
has played an important role in establishing a cultural
identity for India, as well as building links between
India and its various diasporas. It also has strong
links with other creative industries, and helps explain
Mumbais position as the home of the headquarters of
most of Indias major television and satellite networks,
as well as its major publishing houses.
Bollywood shows what is possible in Mumbai. In
the beginning it was almost a cottage industry, unable
to effectively reap economies of scale and was dogged
by rumours of links with organised crime. Since the
late 1990s, however, the situation has changed due to
the growth in the overseas market for Bollywood films
and the opening-up of Indias economy. Considerable
investment has begun to flow from Mumbais telecom,
software and media industries into Bollywood. This
is reflected in the returns seen by the industry the
revenue from Bollywood films has grown by 360 per
cent from 1985 to 2005.
The city also has other cultural strengths. Design,
embroidery, and the gems and jewellery sector are
all strong, and there is a huge (if low-profile) industry
drawing on traditional craft skills. However, there are
also weaknesses in the citys arts and entertainment
offer. There is a low level of interest in the citys
119

museums; the potential of heritage buildings is being

underplayed, and the performing arts are relatively
neglected. Entertainment could also be strengthened:
there is no Bollywood museum, for instance, and
the citys traditional religious festivals could be
marketed better. Indeed, Mumbais share of Indias
tourism is declining the city is increasingly seen as
a gateway to the country rather than as a destination
in its own right.
Despite the success of Bollywood, and Mumbai
having many of the ingredients of a world city,
the city has struggled so far to achieve a comparable
cultural impact (outside the film industry). Partly this
is due to the low profile of the creative and cultural
sector in the city many of the statistics collected for
this report, for instance, had to be gathered through
primary research but it also reflects the low priority
government has attached to the creative and cultural
sector in Mumbai.
With its large, young, dynamic and multicultural
population in one of the worlds fastest-growing
economies, Mumbai ought to be well-placed to
build a strong creative and cultural sector to offer
development and tourist opportunities for the city.
Indeed, recent research has suggested the creative
industries are already a major source of employment
in the city. For this to happen, though, government
needs to understand the sector and its potential
better, and be more willing to provide it with strategic
support.

opposite: People celebrating Holi Festival, Mumbai

Courtesy of Abdul Shaban, Tata Institute of Social Sciences

121

New York
New York City
Geographical area: 1,214.40 sq.km
Total population: 8,175,133
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 2.6%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 33.3%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$73,300
Percentage creative industries employment:
8%

New York has long tied its rising power and economic
success to investments in arts and culture. In its
early nineteenth century aspirations to rival Boston,
and later the great cities of Europe, New Yorks
cultural life has been seen as a symbol of the
citys wider vitality. From Carnegie Hall to MoMA,
public-private partnerships linking civic ambition and
wealthy philanthropists have endowed the city with
world-class non-profit cultural institutions. Allied to
this, New Yorks hugely dynamic cultural scene finds
expression in everything from Broadway theatre to hip
hop. The city is also a giant commercial marketplace
for art and creative industries, from art auctions
to fashion, design and advertising.
This creative energy is not just found in
Manhattan. The fluid association of creative activity
with particular neighbourhoods has served to define
and redefine parts of the city. From Greenwich Village
in the 1950s and 60s to SoHo and TriBeCa in the
1970s and 80s to Williamsburg and Dumbo in the
opposite: Times Square at Night, New York
Photo: Jen Davis, Courtesy of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

2000s, New Yorks creativity shifts and re-forms from

place to place. This process continues; the presence
of artists is currently helping to revive Bushwick,
Brooklyn; Long Island City, Queens; Mott Haven
in the Bronx; and St. George, Staten Island.
This fluidity is partly driven by the citys enormous
diversity. New York has been one of the primary
gateways to America for immigrants for centuries,
and it continues to have a huge foreign-born
population currently 37 per cent of the total
who bring their own cultures to add to the citys mix.
Residents and visitors alike are offered everything
from Chinese opera to Czech marionette theatre
to Bomba dance classes.
Cultures role in economic development is a priority
for the city. This includes both its direct employment
effects and its indirect effects. New York believes
that the presence of artists and cultural organisations
attracts other businesses who are looking for creative
workers; students who want to experience the unique
opportunities New York offers; and tourists from
around the world. The number of tourists has risen
by 30 per cent in the last decade, with international
tourists particularly attracted by the citys cultural
offerings.
While New Yorks position is an enviable one,
it faces challenges. At a time of global economic
pressures, sustaining a sector whose benefits can
be hard to quantify becomes increasingly difficult.
So, how can the city maximise the value of its cultural
strengths? What is perhaps most striking about the
approach of local government to supporting culture
is its clear understanding of the interconnectedness
123

of different forms and scales of cultural activity, and

its willingness to cross the boundaries between profit
and non-profit organisations. The commentator
John Howkins has called this idea a creative ecology,
an ecosystem in which many of the elements are
interdependent.
New York continues to make substantial
investments in upgrading its creative ecology. It has
recognised that a thriving culture is not built solely
on a handful of world-class institutions. To that end,
roughly half of the City of New Yorks cultural grants
go to small organisations. Government also manages
a robust portfolio of capital projects. From a new
home for jazz at Lincoln Center, to major expansions
of the Museum of Chinese in the Americas and the
Brooklyn Childrens Museum, to energy-efficient
greenhouses at the New York Botanical Garden,
these projects often involve world-class architects
and always leverage private funding. In addition,
New York City encourages and supports high-profile
public art projects like The Gates, by Cristo and
Jeanne Claude and The New York City Waterfalls
by Olafur Eliasson. These are all seen as strategic
investments, not only strengthening New Yorks
cultural sector, but also burnishing the citys identity
and improving its quality of life.
The non-profit cultural sector has responded
well so far to the challenges and opportunities
posed by technology. Initiatives like the Metropolitan
Operas pioneering use of HD video to live stream
performances have increased audience interest
and attendance, and many arts organisations are
successfully using social media to market their
programmes and increase access.
Government support for commercial creative
activity takes a number of forms. NYC & Company,
the citys tourist and visitor agency, has a number
124

The New York City Waterfalls by Olafur Eliasson (Brooklyn Bridge at night)
Photo: Julienne Schaer, courtesy of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

of marketing schemes including both commercial

and non-profit cultural offerings. At a neighbourhood
level, entities such as the Downtown Brooklyn
Partnership, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment
Zone, serving Harlem, help support the cultural
resurgence in their communities. In the last decade,
using a combination of tax incentives and marketing,
the Mayors Office of Media and Entertainment,
has catalysed an exponential increase in local film
and television production. Recent initiatives to attract
technology companies build on and reinforce the
citys pool of innovative talent.
New York, then, seems well-placed to sustain
its present position. In a globalised world where
pre-eminence in any field can no longer be taken for
granted, New Yorks combination of economic power,
openness to ideas and immigrants, spaces in which
up-and-coming artists can establish a foothold, and
world-class cultural assets will ensure it remains one
of the worlds most culturally exciting cities.
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs:
www.nyc.gov/culture
New York City The Official Guide: nycgo.com

125

Paris
Ile-de-France
Geographical area: 12,012 sq.km
Total population: 11,797,021
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 18.8%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 35.8%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$56,900
Percentage creative industries employment:
8.8%

Paris has survived sieges, plague, wars, revolution

and occupation to become one of the worlds great
centres of cultural life. In literature, music, cinema
and, perhaps most of all, visual art, the citys residents
have made huge contributions to cultural innovation.
As the data shows, Parisians are also great consumers
of culture, supporting a wide range of venues. In
its post-colonial phase, the city has also become
strikingly diverse and multiracial, opening up further
possibilities for innovation and mixing.
Paris is recognised throughout the world as
a centre of creative excellence, famous for its
art de vivre. Its cafs, bars, art house cinemas,
fringe theatre, second-hand bookstalls and beautiful
streetscapes are a huge draw for tourists the Louvre
is the worlds most visited museum, for instance.
Creative industries constitute a strategic sector for
the Paris region (providing nine per cent of total
jobs) and make a big contribution to its international
appeal. Since 2005, Ile-de-Frances regional economic
opposite: Gay Pride Parade, Place de la Bastille, Paris
Photo: Alfred/SipaPress/CRT IdF

strategy has identified the cultural and creative

industries as a priority area for economic development
(this reports Paris data refers to the administrative
region of the Ile-de-France).
The French government is committed to
activist policies in this area, through legislation and
regulation related to the French cultural exception.
This system of subsidies aims to maintain a strong
cultural offer and reduce inequalities in access to
culture. Paris has a strong commitment to cultural
diversity and the independent production and
distribution of cultural goods (for example, French
films account for 50 per cent of the 600 films
released in cinemas across the country per year).
However, parts of the creative sector, from
bookshops to filmmakers, remain under pressure
from changing business models, especially the rise
of digital (though as the data shows, Paris starts
from a very high baseline in most respects).
The reality of central Paris its high rents,
and protected architecture and heritage sites
make developing creative and cultural industries
and activities there difficult, despite the tourist
presence providing millions of potential customers.
However, artists still want to be in touch with the
city centres energy and wealth. Many of the most
interesting efforts to encourage creativity in the
city are therefore taking place in peripheral districts
of Paris.
Two examples help to illustrate this trend. Under
the aegis of the Greater Paris of Culture project, the
European City of Cinema is set up in a disused power
station in Saint-Denis, at the heart of the creative
127

cluster known as the Territoire de la cration.

La Cit du Cinma is the brainchild of French film
director Luc Besson. Opened in September 2012,
it provides a comprehensive support service for
film production, giving an AZ of film production
on one site.
The second example is Le Centquatre (104).
This building in the multicultural but poor 19th
arrondissement used to house a state funeral parlour,
but is now home to a mix of spaces and to a range
of artists, who are given studios in the building for
several months in return for allowing the public to
see their works in progress. The aim is to engage
the public with the processes of cultural production
(and in some cases to allow them to contribute to
those processes). It welcomes all areas of the arts:
theatre, dance, music, cinema and video, as well
as the culinary, digital, and urban arts, and hosts
an incubator.
New fringe art forms are another source of fresh
energy. The regions cultural policy has tried to find
ways to give such forms a more institutional status.
Launched by the City of Paris in November 2010,
La Gat Lyrique is a new cultural institution dedicated
to all forms of digital and urban culture. Located in
a 150 year-old building in the heart of Paris, the venue

combines heritage and architecture: it aims to create

a building where the amenities constitute a toolbox
for artists who wish to make use of it. It emphasises
contemporary Parisian art de vivre through its
design and cutting edge equipment, which include
a resources centre, a caf, programmes and artistic
productions, and new technologies for the use
of artists.
The future of Paris creative life would seem to
rely on finding an accommodation between the new
and the old in such ways. While its heritage culture
remains a big attraction for tourists, there is a danger
of the city centre becoming an open-air museum.
Countering this by developing innovative platforms
for new art forms and technologies, as well as
encouraging cross-sector collaboration, makes
the reality of the citys vibrant culture more visible,
and represents a way for culture to move forward
in the city.
Institut dAmnagement et dUrbanisme
Ile-de-France, Creative Economy Studies:
www.iau-idf.fr/nos-etudes/sous-theme/
economie-creative.html
Mairie de Paris: www.paris.fr
Rgion Ile-de-France: www.iledefrance.fr

Metropolitan Paris has its own unique spirit,

a French touch which is increasingly recognised
whether in design, fashion, music, cinema, animation,
special effects or the visual arts.
Paris

opposite: Basilique du Sacre Cur, Paris Photo: W. Alix/SIPA PRESS/CRT PIdF

129

Rio de Janeiro
Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Geographical area: 1,200 sq.km
Total population: 6,320,446
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 3.2%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 14.5%
GDP (PPP) million: US$194,900
Percentage creative industries employment:
2.75%

For many foreigners, Rio de Janeiro epitomises Brazil.

From Copacabana beach and the statue of Christ
the Redeemer on Corcovado mountain to the Carnival
and the Maracana stadium, Rios image has seemed
as glamorous as its nickname, cidade maravilhosa,
the marvellous city, would suggest. In 2012, UNESCO
declared the whole of Rio a World Heritage Site,
making it the first city to be recognised in this way.
Its profile will grow even further in the next few years
as it hosts the 2016 Olympics and the final of the
2014 World Cup. Yet Rio has not been the capital of
Brazil since 1960, and is now only the second-largest
city in the country. The city acquired a reputation
for violence and poverty memorably captured in the
film City of God that it has only recently begun to
shrug off.
The years leading up to the 2016 Olympics give Rio
a unique chance to showcase and improve its cultural
infrastructure. A large scale urban redevelopment
programme is underway in the harbour area. It aims
opposite: Rio de Janeiro Photo: Riotur/Alexandre Macieira, courtesy of SMC

to revitalise public spaces, build new water, sewer

and drainage networks, and improve the provision
of urban public services. Cultural infrastructure is
a key component of the programme: a new museum,
the Rio de Janeiro Art Museum (MAR), has already
been created and a flagship high-tech science and
environmental museum, to be known as the Museum
of Tomorrow, is under construction and will open
in March 2015. The project, which is designed
by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has
attracted support from public bodies at municipal,
state and federal levels, as well as from private
sector organisations.
A major challenge with such schemes, though, is
to avoid displacing the poor who live in the city centre,
and ensuring the large investments made actually
benefit residents. A social programme, Morar Carioca,
has been established to provide people living in areas
undergoing redevelopment with alternative housing.
Culture is seen as an important way to address
social tensions. It is strongly promoted by the municipal
office. This is intended to position Rio as the countrys
cultural capital but also to use culture as a tool for
urban transformation, economic development and
social inclusion. Through five key programmes focused
on supporting and implementing local cultural and
creative projects, the municipal authorities want
to widen cultural production, democratise access to
culture, expand the network of public cultural spaces,
protect and encourage cultural diversity, and promote
local culture at national and international levels.
The Creative Economy Support Programme invests
in production, commercialisation, infrastructure and
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training in the sector, with an emphasis on cinema

and TV. The private sector is also heavily involved
in sponsoring culture in the city, particularly large
festivals, cultural infrastructure projects and creative
economy developments.
A comprehensive and diverse cultural programme
supports these ambitions. It includes a number of
large cultural centres, a system of public and mobile
libraries, cultural spaces, cinemas, museums, theatres
and planetariums. The Arts City (Cidade das Artes)
is the citys leading music venue, based in the
western district of Barra da Tijuca. It includes
Latin Americas second largest hall for opera and
classical music, seating 1,800 spectators, and has
recently been redeveloped to function also as a
multidisciplinary cultural complex. Since 1993 the
municipality has provided residents in the north and
west of the city with eight large exhibition tents in
which music, theatre and dance performances are
offered, as well as various arts training, including
capoeira, guitar and yoga, at no cost or for minimal
fees. Aimed at tackling social exclusion and
revitalising public space, the project has been a way
of democratising access to culture while at the same
time promoting local artists and sharing the
management of cultural venues with civil society
organisations.
Rio de Janeiros creative economy is an important
and growing source of wealth. In music, the citys
impact is growing. It has long had a vibrant music
scene, being the home of samba and bossa nova,
but more recently funk has emerged as a new mass
cultural phenomenon in the city. The writer Heloisa
Buarque de Hollanda describes it as the affirmation
of the voices of the urban periphery in the cultural
market. Rio is today one of the worlds main
producers of funk.
opposite: Rio de Janeiro Art Museum (MAR) Photo: Riotur/Alexandre
Macieira, courtesy of SMC

Rio is also the major centre of the audiovisual

industries in Brazil, and is home to Globo, Brazils
largest media conglomerate. In film, the Rio Festival
is Brazils most important film festival. The print &
advertising company owned by the municipality,
RioFilme, has invested in about 300 feature films and
130 short films since 1992. Its mission is to promote
and develop Rio's audiovisual industry, recognising
its cultural, social and economic value. In December
2010, RioFilme opened the first 3D movie theatre
ever to be located in a Brazilian favela: CineCarioca
Nova Brasilia, which attracted an audience of nearly
200,000 in its first 33 months of operation.
This project (and others like it) demonstrate
Rio de Janeiros belief that investing in culture and
creativity can help to address some of the citys
deeply ingrained inequalities. The Olympics and the
World Cup will allow the rest of the world to see close
up how much progress has been made in these areas.
Municipal Department of Culture:
www.rio.rj.gov.br/web/smc
RioFilme: www.riofilme.com.br
Rio Official Guide: www.rioguiaoficial.com.br/en

133

Seoul
Seoul Special City
Geographical area: 605.2 sq.km
Total population: 10,195,318
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 20%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 70.6%
GDP (PPP) million: US$218,709
Percentage creative industries employment:
9.4%

Few cities have experienced such dramatic and rapid

changes in the last hundred years as Seoul. Having
been the capital of Korea since the 14th century
it was transformed first by the Japanese colonisation
of Korea from 191045 and then the Korean War
of 195053, which left the country divided and Seoul
itself in ruins. Yet out of the ashes grew one of the
most remarkable economic booms the world has
seen the miracle on the Han River. Today Seoul
is an ultra-modern megacity of ten million inhabitants,
home to some of the worlds most successful
companies and with a thriving contemporary culture.
The citys residents are making a splash in many
artistic fields, from visual art to film and music (both
classical and pop), and have been responsible for the
globally recognised Korean Wave (hallyu). Yet these
changes have come at a price. Although Seoul is a city
with ancient roots it was the capital of the Baekje
Kingdom 2,000 years ago much of its cultural
heritage has been lost in its rush to grow. Today the
opposite: Cookin Nanta, non-verbal comedy show
Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

city is a dynamic, fluid place, one whose culture

is not settled or static. This offers opportunities
both to create something new and to try and
recover some of the elements of the city that have
been lost.
Seouls creativity, like that of many world cities,
takes hybrid forms. However, this is not simply
an adoption of modern ways Korean culture
has a long tradition of mixing ideas and styles from
different places. This is perhaps most obvious in
Koreas cuisine: signature dishes like Gimbap or
Bibimbap take a great variety of ingredients and
mix them together or roll them up in a bowl.
This hybridity can be seen in contemporary
culture too. Examples include Ja-ram Lee, who
has re-interpreted Berthold Brechts play A Good
Woman of Szechuan as Pansori (a Korean traditional
music performance consisting of storytelling songs
accompanied by drumming). Joon-ho Bongs recent
film Snow-piercer was a South Korean/American/
French science fiction film based on the French
graphic novel Le Transperceneige. K-Pop mixes
Western and Asian forms, exemplified by the global
success of Psys Gangnam Style.
The city has created a number of high-profile
cultural buildings to house its creative surge. The
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is home to the
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its acclaimed
music director, Myung-Whun Chung; the Seoul
Museum of Art receives a million visitors a year;
the Seoul Museum of History and the Seoul Baekje
Museum explore two millennia of the citys history;
while the National Museum of Korea, the National
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Theater of Korea, and Seoul Arts Center offer topnotch cultural facilities. Alongside these are facilities
run by the 16 districts of Seoul, as well as a number
of cultural facilities run by private corporations such
as the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art.
This cultural expansion is ongoing. Former
industrial sites are being turned into cultural ones:
the old Seoul Railway Station has become a major
cultural space; the Defense Security Command
Center has been reopened as a branch of the
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary
Art; the citys water intake and pump station is
now being transformed into the Street Arts Center;
and a number of dilapidated industrial plants have
been recast as Seoul Art Spaces.
The Seoul Art Spaces are a new type of public
place, designed to focus on the local community
where each is located. Through diverse programmes
such as artist residencies and community art projects,
artists and citizens are encouraged to engage with
each other. In Seoul Art Spaces citizens can be
creators of arts, not just consumers. The Art Spaces
programmes also enhance individual citizens
creativity, restore self-esteem, and accumulate social
capital for community development. The changes
caused by such approaches are expanding the
boundaries of the arts and making fringe and
experimental arts bloom in the city.
In July 2010, Seoul was officially designated
as a UNESCO Creative City of Design. As a member
of the Creative Cities Network, Seoul has promoted
various cultural projects and served as a hub for
creative industries such as performing arts, games,
animation, fashion, and design. One example of
these efforts is Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed
by the architect Zaha Hadid. The plaza is expected
to become a significant landmark in Seoul, noted
opposite: Creative Culture & Arts Education in Seoul
Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

for its unique design and its business centre for

creative industries.
Seoul has lost a significant proportion of
its heritage during its turbulent past. The Seoul
Metropolitan Government (SMG) therefore sees
the preservation and protection of the citys cultural
heritage as one of its highest priorities as, despite
the losses, many national treasures and historical
districts still remain in Seoul. The city has three
properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List,
with the Seoul City Wall also under consideration
for inclusion. In 2012 SMG launched the innovative
Future Heritage Project, which focuses on the
preservation of cultural properties connected to the
citys history, people and memorable events during
the modernisation era of the city until the 1970s.
Citizens as well as experts are being invited to add
their memories of the city in order to turn them into
the future heritage for the next generation.
Seoul is thus trying to embrace the present while
maintaining its links with the past. The challenge
of grappling with the contradictions and paradoxes
thrown up by these ambitions helps give 21st century
Seoul its distinctive character.
Seoul Metropolitan Government: english.seoul.go.kr
Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture: english.sfac.or.kr
Seoul Art Space: eng.seoulartspace.or.kr

137

Shanghai
Shanghai Municipal District
Geographical area: 6340.5 sq. km
Total population: 23,474,600
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 1.7%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 42.9%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$15,300
Percentage creative industries employment:
7.4%

Shanghai has emerged from its turbulent twentieth

century of war, occupation and revolution as
mainland Chinas largest city and commercial capital.
Its size, relative wealth and position as a major port
have long made it one of the most cosmopolitan of
Chinese cities. Once known as the Paris of the East,
it was home to as many as 70,000 foreigners in
the early 1930s, and tens of thousands of Jewish
refugees passed through the city in the years
that followed.
As China moves inexorably towards becoming
the planets largest economy, Shanghai is seeking to
re-establish itself as a world city. The city has become
arguably the most vibrant and cosmopolitan place
in China during the countrys modernisation phase.
As part of the industrial and social transformation
of China, Shanghai has adopted a Four Centers
Strategy, which aims to develop the city as a centre
of international excellence in finance, trade, shipping
and general economics. Shanghai has also recognised
opposite: Pudong at Night, Shanghai Courtesy of Shanghai Theatre Academy

that raising the profile of culture will be a necessary

step in achieving world city status.
By Chinese standards, Shanghai is an open and
diverse city, able to draw on both European and
American influences. Nevertheless, the legacy of the
past century means that Shanghai has much catching
up to do if it is to compare with the likes of New York,
Tokyo, and London. It also faces competition from
other Chinese cities, notably Beijing and Hong Kong.
Shanghai has therefore started on an ambitious
programme of cultural development; what has been
described as a post-Expo phase of development.
The 2010 World Expo held in Shanghai was
something of a watershed for the city its equivalent
of Beijings Olympic Games. The post-Expo cultural
strategy of Shanghai aims to make the city a cultural
metropolis by 2020. The ambition, known as a
1122 initiative, is to establish the city as a centre
for creative design, for international cultural exchange
and international fashion, and as a hub of modern
cultural industry and creative talent. It is hoped
that by 2020, Shanghai will be a city with enhanced
cultural soft power and an increasing international
influence.
The city is taking many practical steps to deliver
this strategy. Firstly, it is developing a series of new
public cultural facilities. These include the Palace of
Chinese Arts, Shanghai Contemporary Arts Museum,
Shanghai Expo Museum and Shanghai Childrens Art
Theatre. Secondly, a theatrical performing arts cluster
is to be planned and constructed by restructuring
the layout of Peoples Square and the Tibet Road area.
Thirdly, it aims to promote and upgrade the cultural
139

facilities in western Hongqiao region, so as to build

a dance performing arts cluster and the Hongqiao
International Dance Center.
Shanghai is also planning a number of other
initiatives. In particular, it plans to build up its
festivals and events programme further. It also
intends to establish policies on talent development,
and is launching a number of major projects in
partnership with Western commercial creative
organisations, such as Shanghai Disneyland and
Oriental DreamWorks.
There are also changes underway in the structure
of cultural organisations. Former state-owned
cultural enterprises are being transformed into
a market-oriented corporate system. This in part
reflects a belief that the convergence of creativity
and technology is creating major new opportunities
for the citys cultural and creative industries, where
SMEs and micro enterprises are playing an increasingly
important role.
This is perhaps indicative of a greater willingness
to blur the boundaries between subsidised and
commercial culture in Shanghai than in many of the
other world cities. Culture and creativitys contribution
to innovation-led growth is a priority; as the city
says, culture not only reflects the soft power of
a city, but also determines its creative vitality. This
notion has underpinned the development of more
than 100 creative industries clusters in the city.
These include 1933, a giant former abattoir and
factory which mixes commercial creative industries
with offices, high-end retail and food; and the M50
art cluster, based in a former textile mill and now
home to more than 120 galleries and studios.
Shanghai, with its highly planned approach and
emphasis on the social and economic contribution
of culture to development, is thus taking a somewhat
opposite: Shanghai Fashion
Photo: Wuzheshenghua, courtesy of Shanghai Theatre Academy

different approach from that of Western world cities.

This in part reflects its distinct political structures
and perceptions of the role of culture: Shanghai
says that culture is an important source of national
cohesion. In Western world cities, much of the
creative energy comes from a young and diverse
population and from fringe art forms. Shanghais
population, by contrast, is ageing fast (driven by
a very low birth rate) and does not score highly on
some measures of diversity, such as the number of
foreign students or the percentage of foreign-born
people living in the city. Furthermore, while the
city states that the participation of everyone and
access to everyone is a cultural goal, participation
rates are relatively low at the moment. If Shanghai
is to achieve its ambition of becoming a cultural
powerhouse it will have to find ways to reconcile its
planning-driven approach with the need to allow new
forms of cultural activity the intellectual and physical
space to develop and find their audience.
Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture,
Radio, Film & TV: wgj.sh.gov.cn
Shanghai Information Service Platform for Cultural
and Creative Industries: shcci.eastday.com
Shanghai Theatre Academy: www.sta.edu.cn

141

Singapore
Republic of Singapore
Geographical area: 718.3 sq.km
Total population: 5,469,724
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 100%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 27%
GDP (PPP) million: US$ 425,155
Percentage creative industries employment:
1.8%

Todays Singapore was established as an independent

nation in 1965, and will celebrate its Golden Jubilee
in 2015. This fast-paced metropolis is home to a
multicultural population of Chinese, Malay, Indian
and Eurasian descent, further complemented by
a community of foreigners that make up 29% of
Singapores population. The longstanding diversity of
Singapores communities can be seen throughout its
history, from a flourishing 14th century trading post,
to a bustling seaport attracting thousands of migrants
as the capital of the Straits Settlements, through to its
position today as a thriving commercial and cultural
capital. This diverse heritage is also expressed in its
name, originally Singapura, deriving from the Sanskrit
words simha (lion) and pura (city).
The past 10 years have witnessed a revival in
Singapores cultural industries. The number of arts
companies in Singapore has seen a 400% increase in
this time, ranging from publishing firms, to production
companies and arts schools. This is testament to both
142

new talent and growing public appreciation for the

arts. Singapores government recognises that this
growth must be accompanied by the development of a
talented cultural workforce. Professional development
support includes grants, scholarships and awards
such as the Cultural Medallion the nations pinnacle
honour for the highest achievements in the arts.
The government also works with arts educational
institutions to provide residencies, mentoring
opportunities and specialised Diploma qualifications.
Singapore has a busy cultural calendar, with yearround offerings of music, dance, theatre, visual and
installation art. Highlights include the Singapore
International Festival of Arts, the Singapore Biennale,
the Singapore Night Festival, and the Singapore
HeritageFest. The Singapore Writers Festival stands
out as one of only a few multilingual literary festivals
worldwide, celebrating domestic and international
writing, the festival includes works in English, Malay,
Chinese and Tamil. Privately-organised festivals
are also making an impact on Singapores cultural
landscape. The annual F1 Grand Prix is accompanied
by a carnival and a concert programme featuring
international artists. The M1 Fringe Festival
showcases cross-disciplinary work from Singaporean
and international artists.
The lead-up to the 2015 Jubilee has seen a surge
of investment into cultural facilities. The highlyanticipated opening of National Gallery Singapore in
2015 will be a significant boost to the citys visual
arts scene. At 64,000sqm, the Gallery will be one
of the largest in the region, and will exhibit art from
Singapore and across Southeast Asia. The Indian
Heritage Centre will likewise open in time for the
Jubilee. It will join the Malay Heritage Centre and
the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall as part of a
slate of heritage institutions which celebrate the rich

The Arts House Photo: Courtesy of Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

143

histories and cultures of Singapores various

ethnic groups.
Other investments include a $158m restoration
of the historic Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and
a further $65m package which will fund significant
transformations of the National Museum of Singapore
and the Asian Civilisations Museum, as well as a
refresh of Singapores national performing arts center,
the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.
For Singapore, community participation is as
much a priority as delivering top quality cultural
infrastructure and content. This resonates with recent
shifts in national policy, which has expanded its
emphasis on economic objectives to include greater
attention to social cohesion and engagement. The
governments focus has therefore has moved into
programmes aimed at bringing arts and culture closer
to everyday life.
One example of this is the establishment of
Community Arts & Culture Nodes in existing public
spaces such as libraries and community centres.
These are spaces where local residents, community
arts groups, semi-professional arts groups and
creative professionals can come together to enjoy
performances, workshops and other programmes.
Singapore is planning to deliver a network of 25
Nodes across the city by 2025. Community Arts &
Culture Clubs and other community interest groups
are able to utilise the Nodes as a base from which
to grow local participants and volunteers, helping
to jump-start a nation-wide arts movement.
An important aspect of Singapores culture is its
emphasis on its green heritage. Despite Singapores
status as an urban nation, the city has the highest
percentage of public green space of any in this
report, a consequence of a Garden City vision that
originates from its establishment as a nation. The
144

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Courtesy of Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

Singapore Botanic Gardens, established in 1859

during the British colonial period, occupy a unique
and protected 6 hectare tract of land. Their natural
beauty is complemented by a calendar of programmes
including classical concerts, theatrical performances
and art installations. In 2014, Singapore placed a
bid for the Singapore Botanic Gardens to be listed
as the nations first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Whilst the government plays an active role in
supporting and investing in arts and culture, private
patronage is also encouraged to support the sectors
sustainable development. 2013 saw the establishment
of a $200 million Cultural Matching Fund, in which
the government offers dollar-for-dollar matching
for private cash donations to arts and heritage
charities. This is on top of an existing 250% tax
deduction on these cash donations, and special tax
deduction arrangements for artefacts donated to
approved museums.
Singapore is testing a way forward to raise quality,
develop talent and widen participation in arts and
culture. Its strategies are underpinned by sustained
government investment and strong private sector
partnerships. Together, this presents a Singapore
working towards its goal to become a cultural capital
of Southeast Asia.
Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth:
http://www.mccy.gov.sg/
National Arts Council: https://www.nac.gov.sg/
National Heritage Board: https://www.nhb.gov.sg/

145

Stockholm
Stockholm County
Geographical area: 6,526 sq.km
Total population: 2,163,042
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 22%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 47%
GDP (PPP) million: US$ 63,641
Percentage creative industries employment:
6%

Stockholm is Western Europes fastest growing city,

and with the Baltic Seas most trafficked ports, along
with the region's largest financial market and highest
number of multinational companies it can be called
the Capital of Scandinavia.
Todays Stockholm is an entrepreneurial city, filled
with knowledge intensive enterprises that together
employ up to 65% of its young and well-educated
population. Two thirds of Swedens creative sector
employment is concentrated in Stockholm, and in
2011 the sector generated US$26 billion for the
Stockholm and Mlardalen region. Building on its
traditional strengths in IT and mobile communications,
Stockholms gaming industry exports have gone from
strength to strength. The city is now home to worldleading developers in AAA, digital distribution, social
and mobile games.
Stockholm is one of Europes most attractive
destinations, with 11 million overnight stays annually
attesting to its appeal. Resting across a cluster of 14
146

The Nobel Prize Banquet Photo: Jeppe Wikstrm, courtesy of City of Stockholm

islands, it is still referred to by residents as the city

between the bridges. The citys most well-known
cultural export in the 1990s was pop music, with
attention turning to fashion from 2000. However a
new culinary boom, rooted in the New Nordic food
movement, began to take centre stage from 2010.
Nine Michelin starred restaurants, experimental
modern Swedish cuisine and independent cafs have
come together with craft breweries and cocktail bars
to give central Stockholms cobbled streets a new
lease of life.
No doubt also treasured by visitors and residents
alike is Stockholms impressive cultural infrastructure.
Despite a relatively small population, Stockholm has
one of the highest museum densities in the world,
with 70 museums attracting a total of 9 million visitors
a year. Nevertheless, investment continues in the
renovation of the Stockholm City Museum, extension
of the Liljevalchs Konsthall art gallery, and the newly
built ABBA The Museum. Music lovers are spoiled for
choice with two opera houses, two classical theatre
houses, numerous independent theatres and three
symphony orchestras. Stockholms heritage buildings
and street patterns, dating from the 14th to the 18th
centuries, are also protected and highly valued as
symbols of national identity.
Stockholms informal cultural sector has also
continued from strength to strength. Structural
changes to the arts and culture funding system over
the last three years allowed a total of US$ 25 million
to be allocated to independent arts initiatives in 2013.
This new funding structure is focused on individual
projects, with a special development fund available for
innovative and exploratory initiatives. Increased
emphasis has been placed on quality standards,
reaching wider audiences and capturing the essence of
a multicultural city. So far these changes have led to
147

110,000 people.
In response to rapid population growth and a 30%
foreign born population, Stockholms Cultural Board,
responsible for setting the citys cultural policy, has
prioritised democratic access to culture and equal
participation by all. There is increasing demand for
cultural initiatives outside the city centre, and
increasing need for cultural venues where communities
can meet and mix. Three modern libraries, also
functioning as study environments and social spaces,
have been established close to city subway stations
with more in the pipeline. Stockholms Kista suburb,
Europes leading IT cluster, opened its new library
facility in 2014, equipped with full digital media and
communications facilities.
Stockholms cultural policy also particularly
emphasises the right of children and young people to
cultural expression, and identifies young people as a
primary target group. Stockholm is home to
Kulturskolan, Europes largest art school with 15,000
students. Participation amongst 13-25 year olds is
already high, with 70 percent having taken part in
visual art, music, writing, dance or theatre activities.
However Stockholms arts and culture funding system

Photo: Yanan Li, courtesy of City of Stockholm

an overall increase in applications for funding, an

increase in project-based arts production, and in more
creative practitioners testing crowdfunding and other
diverse financing streams.
The Stockholm of the 1970s and 80s was a
performing arts centre with thriving independent
theatre groups. Recent shifts in the cultural landscape
have brought music, dance, photography, film and
new hybrid formats to greater prominence. This has
led to new stages, clubs and galleries, established and
run by artists and creative entrepreneurs. Around 70
artist-run galleries exhibited at the 2014 Supermarket
Art Fair, a fringe alternative to the established Market
148

Art Fair. Some of these galleries cluster together in

Stockholms Sdermalm district, together with artist
collectives such as wip:sthlm, Slakthusateljerna,
Platform Stockholm and S.V.T. who host exhibitions,
events and discussions in their own studios and
workshops.
Stockholm also hosts large scale events aimed at
the wider population, with free admission to all
programme listings. The Stockholm Culture Festival
and the We Are Sthlm youth festival attract a
combined audience of around 750,000 each year.
Stockholms annual culture night has the combined
involvement of 110 cultural institutions and attracts

wants to build upon these existing interests by

sparking a transfer from passive participation to active
entrepreneurship. To do this the City of Stockholm
and the Culture Division have made a dedicated fund
available to young people aged 12-25, who can apply
for up to US$ 1,500 to use for local arts projects.
Stockholm has seen a shakeup of its cultural
landscape in recent years, driven forward by a growing
population of young engaged innovators and a
developing entrepreneurial culture. Mature arts
institutions are complemented by independent grass
roots initiatives, which together with a vibrant leisure
economy injects new energy into this historic
European centre.
Stockholm art and the one percent rule:
http://www.stockholmkonst.se/
Stockholm Visitors Board:
http://www.visitstockholm.com/
Stockholm Culture administration: http://www.
stockholm.se/OmStockholm/Forvaltningar-ochbolag/Fackforvaltningar/#listrad_Kulturforvaltningen

Increased emphasis has been placed on quality

standards, reaching wider audiences and capturing
the essence of a multicultural city.
Stockholm

149

Sydney
Metropolitan Region of Sydney
Geographical area: 12,144.50 sq.km
Total population: 4,575,532
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 20.5%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 35%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$48,900
Percentage creative industries employment:
5.3%

Sydneys cultural life is a blend of the formal and

iconic, represented by its major cultural institutions
and the informal, sometimes gritty and challenging
activities of its artists and creative communities. Its
natural beauty and climate shape Sydneys thriving,
distinctive and sometimes surprising cultural life.
Sydney began as a community of strangers
with wildly varying backgrounds and skills, brought
together through adverse circumstances. With a third
of the citys community being foreign-born and many
more second-generation migrants, contemporary life
in Sydney reflects this diversity of experiences and
cultures. While most evident in its multiculturalism,
this can be seen in other areas of the citys life as well,
including its role as a gay and lesbian capital.
Much of the vitality of Sydneys cultural life is
shaped by its climate and often spectacular natural
setting. Focused on the Sydney Harbour Bridge,
Sydney New Years Eve is the largest and most globally
recognisable New Year celebration in the world, while
opposite: Vivid Opera House, Sydney
Photo: Paul Patterson, courtesy of City of Sydney

many of Sydneys most successful events, such

as Sydney Festival, Tropfest, Sculpture by the Sea,
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Biennale
of Sydney are held wholly or partly outdoors, taking
full advantage of these idyllic conditions.
Chinese New Year in Sydney is the largest
in the world outside of East and South East Asia,
and, along with Parramasala, Sydneys celebration of
South Asian arts and culture, demonstrates Sydneys
diverse community and role as a cultural driver within
the Asia-Pacific region. As well as major events and
infrastructure, the everyday cultural experience
of the city includes permanent and temporary public
art works, unexpected events and a subtle balance of
fine grain activities, reflecting a layering of cultural
texture in the daily life of Sydney.
Australian author David Malouf notes that when
we think of other places what comes first to our mind
as characterising their contribution to the world
their identity or style is the arts they have produced:
books, paintings, films, their orchestras and opera
companies, their galleries, their music. A rich and
vital cultural life for any city requires an ecosystem
of artists, community and cultural organisations
working at different scales from the small scale
fringe to artists performing or showing internationally.
Sydneys diverse cultural ecosystem is another area
in which it reinforces its idiosyncratic character and
identity as a city of many cultural forms.
The Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Theatre
Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Belvoir,
and the Bangarra Dance Theatre together with many
Sydney based artists, performers and writers are now
151

internationally celebrated. However, the culture of

Sydney is also notable for the integral role that fringe
and informal culture plays in it. This can be seen in
its thriving live music scene, which includes both large
venues and many smaller ones that focus on young
or up-and-coming musicians. This fringe vibrancy is
also evident in cultural forms such as cabaret, comedy,
pop up events, short films, artist run initiatives
and collectives, independent dance and theatre
groups and the increasingly popular ideas and talks
programmes, all of which have different entry points
to participation and opportunities for the community
to take part. Even the citys large scale and
internationally recognised events are powered by the
creative efforts of hundreds of artists and performers.
This accessibility is perhaps best seen in Sydneys
significant independent performing, visual and
interdisciplinary arts scenes. Often artist-run, this
cultural activity is noticeably democratic and provides
affordable performance or exhibition opportunities, as
well as opportunities for involvement in other areas of
cultural activity, such as marketing, writing, curating,
lighting, sound design or set design. The strength
of Sydneys arts participation is also found in the
significant growth of artisan markets, demonstrating
the citys renewed interest in handmade products.
This trend, supported by digital delivery channels
like Etsy and increased demand for semi-professional
arts training, points to this growth in active cultural
participation by non-professional or semi-professional
creative producers and shows that new relationships
are being forged between artists and their audience
unmediated by third parties.
Sydney recently became the home of the Federal
Governments Creative Industries Innovation Centre,
in recognition of the contribution of the creative
industries to Australias GDP (a comparable share
opposite: Angel Place Bird Cages, Sydney
Photo: Paul Patterson, courtesy of City of Sydney

to that of the United States, Canada and France).

Sydney is home to the largest population of creative
workers in Australia, and a number of vibrant creative
precincts and clusters have emerged in recent years.
Supporting this sector within the workforce will be
a focus of government authorities in the coming years,
as the importance of the creative industries grows
and integrates with more traditional business structures
and networks.
In the coming years the cultural landscape of
Sydney will change again. Significant large-scale urban
development sites in and around the city including
Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Walsh Bay, Green Square
and the Blue Mountains will see the development
of a number of world-class arts and cultural facilities,
giving rise to opportunities for the city to embed
cultural infrastructure and activity into its design.
Increasing recognition and celebration of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander heritage and contemporary
culture is planned, while physical and metaphorical
connections between once isolated cultural institutions,
such as the Sydney Opera House, the Powerhouse
Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the
Maritime Museum, the Sydney Theatre, Sydney
Observatory, and the Art Gallery of NSW will be made.
Although there is much to be found in Sydneys
cultural ecology, a number of factors that have
contributed to its cultural lifestyle the citys natural
beauty, relaxed lifestyle and Australias buoyant economy
also affect the availability of space for up-and-coming
artists and cultural producers to rehearse, perform,
live or work. The challenges of affordability of space;
financial sustainability and growing organisational
capacity will be key to the city in coming years.
City of Sydney: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Arts New South Wales: www.arts.nsw.gov.au
153

Tokyo
Tokyo Metropolis (Tokyo prefecture)
Geographical area: 2,130 sq.km
Total population: 13,159,388
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 10.3%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 25.5%
GDP per capita in 2008 (PPP): US$41,300
Percentage creative industries employment:
11.2%

While Tokyo has been Japans most important city

for almost 500 years, its rise to world city status was
driven by its remarkable recovery from the ashes of
the Second World War. Japanese companies and their
famously hard-working staff were responsible for an
economic miracle that by the end of the 1980s had
turned Japan into one of the worlds richest nations.
This rise had its echoes in culture, too. Elements
of Japanese popular culture, from karaoke to manga
comics and sushi bars spread across the globe, while
creative products like the Sony Walkman shaped the
way the world experienced culture. Japanese artists,
whether they were filmmakers like Yasujiro Ozu and
Akira Kurosawa or fashion designers like Issey Miyake
and Rei Kawakubo, achieved worldwide reputations
for the originality and quality of their work. Yet Tokyo
remains different from other world cities. It has never
been a draw for tourists on the scale of Paris or New
York, and it has never had the levels of ethnic diversity
or the number of foreign students of a London or
opposite: Courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Sydney. However, Tokyo has developed a distinctive

diversity of its own that takes unexpectedly various
forms. Because of its depth, Tokyos culture can
be hard for tourists and even for the citys residents
to fully grasp.
The long period of economic stagnation since
the early 1990s has led to a relative decline in
Tokyos world city status, while the rise of other
major cities in its region, such as Shanghai and Seoul,
is increasing competition. The tragedy of the Great
East Japan Earthquake in 2011 has also been a trigger
for re-assessing societys priorities. There is now
a growing sense that culture will play an important
part in Tokyos reinvention of itself in response to
these challenges; what some commentators have
called a new paradigm.
What, then, are Tokyos particular strengths? One
answer lies in the multiple meanings of the Japanese
word bunka (culture): artistic production, but also
lifestyle, quality of life, and wellbeing. Tokyo people
do not see culture as separate or not for them: as the
city puts it, common citizens have historically been
very involved in a rich variety of artistic and cultural
activities. The culture of Tokyo is marked by reciprocal
communication and an exceptional level of equality in
cultural participation. There has long been a blurring
of the boundaries between consumers and creators,
and between what Westerners sometimes call high
and pop culture. In this way, what distinguishes Tokyo
culture is the active role that ordinary citizens play
as independent actors in cultural activities. There is
a cultural element in the lives of many citizens, which
forms a rich foundation for Tokyos wider culture.
155

A second great strength of the city is its seamless

continuity of tradition and modernity. In Tokyo,
the traditional and the modern are linked not only
spatially but temporally as well. Many foreigners
see the city as an ultra-modern city of skyscrapers,
cutting-edge fashion and design and high-technology.
Yet the city remains the most important centre for
traditional Japanese culture, having preserved its
many traditional cultural forms, from ancient shrines
and temples to Noh and Kabuki theatres and rakugo
performances. Tokyo has several major venues
for such art, including the Kabuki-za Theatre, the
National Noh Theatre and the Kokugikan Hall in
Ryogoku. It is also home to more traditional artisans
than any other Japanese city. This concentration of
traditional culture is a source of techniques, values,
and inspiration for contemporary cultural workers
in fields like design and architecture.
The more obviously modern aspects of Tokyos
culture can be seen in the citys various districts. Areas
like Roppongi, Akihabara, Harajuku and Shibuya each
have their own distinct culture the city is keen to
cultivate these. Although Tokyo is not a multicultural
city in the Western sense, it is open to ideas and
culture from abroad, adapting them for its own
purposes. This is apparent in Tokyos cuisine which
has absorbed and adapted foreign influences on its
way to becoming (according to Michelin) the worlds
best city for high-class restaurants.
Tokyo recognises the need to improve its cultural
offer through a programme of strategic investment. It
believes it is essential to cultivate its human resources
through supporting cultural facilities and programmes.
The Tokyo Council for the Arts has been sustaining a
mid- to long-term cultural policy to provide improved
funding and support for the arts, and so to provide
a platform for introducing and cultivating new talent.
opposite: Courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government

For this reason, Tokyo is keen to upgrade its existing

cultural facilities, as well as developing newer ones,
such as the Tokyo Wonder Site, to create centres
for new art (and artists). The city is also supporting
new festivals and projects, which provide a stage
for the cultivation of human resources by expanding
opportunities for artists and arts administrators to
enrich their experiences. In 2008, the city launched
the Tokyo Culture Creation Project, which includes
FESTIVAL/TOKYO, Roppongi Art Night, and Yebisu
International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions.
One of the most notable programmes is the Tokyo
Artpoint Project, which serves as a unique mechanism
for forming regional cultural centres and promoting
civic participation in creative endeavours.
Tokyo hopes to be able to demonstrate the
fruits of this investment, and the new thinking that
underpins it, to the world in 2020, as it is preparing
a bid for that years Olympic and Paralympic Games.
If this is successful, it will generate numerous
opportunities for the city to forge new ties between
people and to facilitate creative production, while
absorbing a diverse set of values from around the
world. It will also demonstrate the ways in which
the citys distinctive cultures express themselves.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games thus have
the potential to further stimulate Tokyos culture
of impartiality, interactivity, and tolerance, giving
rise to an even deeper, more vibrant, dynamic, and
diverse culture.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government:
www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/index.htm
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and
Culture: www.rekibun.or.jp/english/index.html
Tokyo Culture Creation Project:
www.bh-project.jp/index_e.html
157

Toronto
City of Toronto
Geographical area: 630 sq.km
Total population: 2,615,060
Percentage of total national population living
in the city: 7.8%
Education level percentage with degree
level or higher: 38.1%
GDP (PPP) million: US$124,098
Percentage creative industries employment:
9.7%

Like Canada itself, Toronto has often been

overshadowed by its more boisterous American
neighbours. Yet, just as the success of Canadas
economic and social model has increasingly been
recognised in the last decade, so too have Torontos
growing strengths. (It will, for instance, host the
Pan-American Games in 2015.) Nowhere is this
more true than in the field of culture. Through
a combination of major capital projects, enlightened
municipal leadership and the efforts of some of the
citys most noted cultural figures, Toronto is wellplaced to take advantage of its greatest resource:
its talented, hugely diverse population. As such,
it is starting to emerge as a significant presence
on the world stage in many areas of culture.
Toronto's signature event is the Toronto
International Film Festival (TIFF). TIFF started
modestly in 1976 as a round-up of the best films
from film festivals around the world. From these
humble beginnings the inaugural festival was
opposite: Jully Black at Luminato Festival Courtesy of City of Toronto

attended by 35,000 people TIFF has grown to

become one of the most prestigious events in the film
calendar, arguably second only to Cannes as a showcase
for high-profile films and stars and as a focus for
market activity. The TIFF Bell Lightbox cultural centre
was opened in 2010 to provide a suitable headquarters
for the Festival. This growing confidence in what
Toronto can achieve has been replicated across much
of the citys cultural scene in recent years.
The cultural landscape of Toronto has changed
dramatically since May 2002, when the federal and
provincial governments announced multi-million
dollar investment contributions to seven Toronto
cultural projects. Among these were the Royal Ontario
Museum, which embarked on a C$270m renovation
and expansion project, transforming the building with
a striking Daniel Libeskind-designed main entrance
and galleries, now officially known as the Michael
Lee-Chin Crystal. In 2004 the Art Gallery of Ontario
embarked on a radical C$276m redevelopment led
by the Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry, which
increased its art viewing space by 47%. In 2006
the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, a
2,071-seat theatre complex, opened after a three-year
construction estimated to have cost C$181m. The
design of its main auditorium, the R. Fraser Elliott
Hall, has won acclaim for its superb acoustics. Together
these projects have been dubbed Torontos Cultural
Renaissance. They are helping to position the city
as a leading global creative capital and build civic pride.
Toronto's cultural policy recommends that the city
try to keep pace with international competitors by
making a firm commitment to sustain its cultural sector,
159

but is also keen to stress the equitable distribution of

cultural services through the city and to all segments
of the population. The Toronto City Council 2011
report, Creative Capital Gains An Action Plan
for Toronto, urges the city to ensure access and
opportunity for cultural participation to all citizens,
regardless of age, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation,
geography or socioeconomic status. This is particularly
important given that Toronto is such a diverse place:
in 2011 it was estimated that 49% of those living in
the city were foreign-born. The City Council is working
to weave immigrants into the fabric of the citys
cultural life by using its presence on non-profit boards
and as well through its formal multi-year funding
contracts with major cultural organisations to ensure
that these cultural groups are mindful of the need to
embrace diversity. One example of this will be seen in
2014, when Toronto hosts World Pride, an event that
promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues
on an international level through parades, festivals
and other cultural activities.
Municipal cultural planning in the city is also
working to provide access to affordable and
sustainable space for both individual artists and
cultural industries. As in many global cities of the
developed world, Torontos cultural sector is squeezed
by the rising price of real estate market and the
gentrification of city neighbourhoods. City planners
are working together across departments to require
developers to provide affordable and sustainable
creative space. Artscape , a not for profit urban
development organisation specialising in creative
place-making while transforming communities,
has been the Citys key partner in working with local
developers to do this. Located in downtown Toronto
and opened in 2012, Artscape's Daniels Spectrum
is a cultural landmark and event venue in the heart
160

of $1B (CAN) revitalization of the Regent Park

Neighbourhood, Canada's oldest and largest social
housing development. Daniels Spectrum recently
named as one of five nominees for Best New Venue
for Meetings and Events in North America for the
BizBash Awards with the winner to be announced
at the BizBash IdeaFest in New York later this year.
The City of Toronto is aware the importance of
informal cultural activities, both for their often undervalued financial power and their essential contribution
to a vibrant cultural sector. While the formal cultural
sector is largely rooted in European art forms (such
as classical music, opera, ballet and visual art) the
newer forms of mass cultural participation, including
film and performing arts festivals, are making great
efforts to embrace the so-called "fringe", to harness
the energy, the innovation and diversity of artists
and cultural practices within the ity. The City produces
Nuit Blanche, a free all-night contemporary art event,
which provides opportunities for young local artists
to display their work to an estimated audience
of one million. The Toronto Fringe Festival, which
started in 1989, is an annual summer theatre festival
featuring experimental and edgy plays by both
unknown and established artists. It is held across
30 venues and attracts more than 90,000 people
per year. The Toronto Arts Council (TAC) is also
a very important body in the funding the local arts
scene. Last year, the TAC funded 421 arts and
cultural organizations (from 619 applications) and
272 individual artists (from 943 applications).
While Canada has escaped the worst of the global
economic problems of recent years, its authorities
still have to operate in a climate of fiscal restraint.
The City of Toronto is no exception, and in the cultural
field it is exploring ways to boost non-conventional
funding from the private sector and other levels of

Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Courtesy of City of Toronto

government. New funding models are being put into

place to try and help the cultural sector replace lost
income streams. For instance, following a 12-year
campaign led by a group of young artists, Toronto's
billboards will now be taxed to generate more funding
for culture. This third-party sign tax has been the
spark to help Toronto start to provide longer-term
sustainable arts funding that over time will be funded
through the property tax base with the money being
phased in gradually over the next four years. The City
may then reach its oft-stated goal of increasing its per
capita spending on the arts from C$18.30 to C$25.

Toronto, then, is a global city which has made

a sustained commitment to boosting its cultural
offer. The impact of this has already been felt
in the way that culture is consumed in the city; the
challenge now will be to translate it into cultural
production too, to give Toronto its own distinctive
urban voice.
City of Toronto: www.toronto.ca/culture
Official website of Tourism Toronto:
www.seetorontonow.com/arts-theatre-culture
Toronto International Film Festival: tiff.net
161

Appendix 1:
Data tables

World cities cultural infrastructure and output

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

National museums

City

Figure

Date Source

Other museums

Amsterdam

2013

Dutch Association for National Museums

Amsterdam

143

2013

Netherlands Museums Association

Berlin

18

2010

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preuischer Kulturbesitz

Berlin

140

2010

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preuischer Kulturbesitz

Bogot

2013

SIMCO/Red Nacional de Museos/Ministerio de Cultura

Buenos Aires

18

2007

Direccin General de Museos GCBA

Bogot
76
2013

PLAMEC/SIMCO/
Red Nacional de Museos/Ministerio de Cultura

Hong Kong

17

2012

Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)

Buenos Aires

55

2013

Direccin General de Museos GCBA

Istanbul

2010

Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Hong Kong

15

2012

LCSD

Johannesburg 9

2012 VANSA

London

11

2010

DCMS

Los Angeles

2013

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Madrid

2014

Spanish Ministry of Culture (MCU)

Montral

2013

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Moscow

29

2013

Department of culture

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

2012

Alliance for the Arts/NYC-ARTS

Paris

24

2012

RMN (Runion des muses nationaux)

Rio de Janeiro

2010

Cadastro Nacional de Museus IBRAM/MINC

So Paulo

2012

IBRAM

Seoul

13

2014

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai
27
2010
Statistical Yearbook of Shanghai Cultural Relics 2010

(SYSCR2010)
Singapore
6
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Arts and Cultural Scene (National Arts Council)

Stockholm

29

2012

Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis

Sydney

2010

Museums & Galleries NSW Directory/Online Research

Tokyo
8
2012

Japan Independent Administrative Institution

National Museum of Art

Toronto

Ontario Museum Association Website

164

Notes

2013

Istanbul
71
2010

Ministry of Culture and Tourism,

Istanbul Visual Arts Report

Johannesburg

COJ 2030 Report/VANSA

51

2012

London
162
2005

MLA London (2007) Facts and Figures/Association

of Independent Museums

Los Angeles
219
2013

Institute of Museum & Library Studies/

Visual Art Source

Madrid

Directorio de Museos y Colecciones Espana

52

2014

Montral
66
2013

Socit des muses qubcoise

Ministre de la Culture et des Communications

Moscow

336

2013

Department of culture

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York
129
2012

Alliance for the Arts/NYC-ARTS/New York State

Department of Education

Paris

113

2009

Ministre de la Culture et de la communication (DEPS)

Rio de Janeiro

120

2010

Cadastro Nacional de Museus IBRAM/MINC

So Paulo

131

2012

Cadastro Nacional de Museus IBRAM/MINC

Seoul

146

2014

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

87

2010

Shanghai Statistical Yearbook 2011

Singapore
55
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Arts and Cultural Scene (National Arts Council)

Stockholm
70
2013

Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis

The association of Swedish museums

Sydney

Museums & Galleries NSW Directory/Online Research

59

2010

Tokyo
39
2011

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Citizens

and Cultural Affairs/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

Ontario Museum Association Website

67

2013

165

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of public libraries per 100,000 population

Public libraries
Amsterdam

82

2012

LISA/Statistics Netherlands

Amsterdam

2012

LISA/Statistics Netherlands

Berlin

88

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Berlin

2.5

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin Brandenburg

Bogot

89

2013

SDCRD/Bibliored/Bibliotecas Comunitarias

Bogot

2013

SDCRD/Bibliored/Bibliotecas Comunitarias

Buenos Aires

81

2013

Ministerio de Educacin GCBA

Buenos Aires

2012

Ministerio de Educacin GCBA

Hong Kong

77

2011/12 LCSD

Hong Kong

2011/12 LCSD

Istanbul

42

2010

Turkish Statistical Institute

Istanbul

0.3

2010

Johannesburg
234
2010

Gauteng Library/
Information Services 2010 Annual Report

Johannesburg
2
2010
Gauteng Library/Information Services 2010

Annual Report

London

383

2010

CIPFA Stats Public Library Statistics

London

2010

CIPFA Stats Public Library Statistics

Los Angeles

240

2011

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Los Angeles

2.5

2011

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Madrid
46
2013

Archivo del rea de Gobierno de Las Artes,

Deportes y Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Madrid
1.5
2013

Archivo del rea de Gobierno de Las Artes,

Deportes y Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral
66
2012

MCC Ministre de la culture

et des communications du Qubec

Montral
3
2012

MCC Ministre de la culture

et des communications du Qubec

Moscow

507

2013

Department of culture

Moscow

4.2

2014

Federal state statistic service

Mumbai

80

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

0.006

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

220

2009

Institute of Museum and Library Services

New York

2009

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Paris

830

2011

Le Motif

Paris

2011

Le Motif/Insee

Rio de Janeiro
74
2013

Fundao Biblioteca Nacional

(Cadastro Nacional de Bibliotecas)

Rio de Janeiro
1
2013

Fundao Biblioteca Nacional

(Cadastro Nacional de Bibliotecas)

So Paulo
98
2013

Fundao Biblioteca Nacional

(Cadastro Nacional de Bibliotecas)

So Paulo
1
2013

Fundao Biblioteca Nacional

(Cadastro Nacional de Bibliotecas)

Seoul

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai
477
2012

Shanghai Municipal Culture, Radio Broadcasting,

Film and Television Administration (SMCBFTA)

Shanghai
2
2012

Shanghai Municipal Culture, Radio Broadcasting,

Film and Television Administration (SMCBFTA)

Singapore

27

2014

Public Libraries Singapore Website

Singapore

0.5

2014

Public Libraries Singapore Website

Stockholm

90

2012

The Stockholm region library

Stockholm

4.2

2012

The Stockholm region library

Sydney
154
2010

State Library New South Wales, Public Libraries

in New South Wales Directory 2010

Sydney
3
2010

State Library New South Wales, Public Libraries

in New South Wales Directory 2010

Tokyo
377
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division

Toronto

TorontoPublicLibrary.ca

Tokyo
3
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division, Management
and Coordination Section

Toronto

TorontoPublicLibrary.ca

464

101

166

Notes

2014

2013

4.6

2014

2013

Turkish Statistical Institute

167

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of book loans by public libraries per year (million)

No. of book loans by public libraries per capita per year

Amsterdam

10.75

2012

Dutch Association of Public Libraries

Amsterdam

4.58

2012

Dutch Association of Public Libraries

Berlin

23.58

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin Brandenburg

Berlin

6.81

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin Brandenburg

Buenos Aires

6.68

2012

Direccin General del Libro y Promocin de la Lectura

Buenos Aires

2.31

2012

Direccin General del Libro y Promocin de la Lectura

Hong Kong

58.3

2011/12 LCSD

Hong Kong

8.15

2011/12 LCSD

Istanbul

0.12

2010

Istanbul

0.0085

2010

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

Johannesburg
9.01
2010
Gauteng Library/Information Services 2010

Annual Report

Johannesburg
0.8
2010

Gauteng Library and Information Services

2010 Annual Report

London

37.2

2010

CIPFA Stats Public Library Statistics

London

4.8

2009

CIPFA Public Library Statistics 200910

Los Angeles

50.79

2011

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Los Angeles

5.2

2011

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Madrid
3.83
2013

Archivo del rea de Gobierno de Las Artes,

Deportes y Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Madrid
1.21
2013

Archivo del rea de Gobierno de Las Artes,

Deportes y Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral
12.37
2012

MCC Ministre de la culture

et des communications du Qubec

Montral
6.56
2012

MCC Ministre de la culture

et des communications du Qubec

Moscow

61.3

2013

Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system

Mumbai

2.05

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Moscow
5.1
2013
Unified interdepartmental information and

statistical system

New York

68.04

2010

Bibliostat Connect

Paris
47
2011
Le Motif (observatoire du livre et de lcrit

en Ile-de-France)

Mumbai

0.16

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

8.32

2010

Bibliostat Connect

Paris

3.95

2011

le Motif/Insee

Rio de Janeiro
0.028
2009

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura,

Coordenao de Bibliotecas

SEMPLA

So Paulo

SEMPLA

Seoul
21.51
2013

Committee on Library and Information Policy/

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Seoul
2.17
2013

Committee on Library and Information Policy/

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Shanghai

Shanghai Statistical Yearbook 2011(SSY2011)/STA

Shanghai

SSY2011/STA

Singapore
38.1
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Library Visitorship and Services (National Arts Council)

Singapore
7.0
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Library Visitorship and Services (National Arts Council)

Stockholm

11

2012

The Stockholm region library

Stockholm

5.06

2012

The Stockholm region library

Sydney

20.83

2010

National and State Libraries Australasia

Sydney

4.55

2010

National and State Libraries Australasia

Tokyo
112.24
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division, Management
and Coordination Section

Tokyo
8.64
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division, Management
and Coordination Section

Toronto

Toronto Public Libraries

Toronto

Toronto Public Libraries

Rio de Janeiro
0.18
2009

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura,

Coordenao de Bibliotecas

So Paulo

0.84

58.69

32

168

2012

2010

2012

Figure only concerns municipal libraries

0.07

2.5

12.24

2011

2010

2012

Notes

Figure estimated from national figure

Figure only concerns municipal libraries

169

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of other heritage/historical sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Amsterdam 3

2013 UNESCO

Amsterdam

16,680

2013

Amsterdam Office for Monuments & Archaeology

Berlin

2012 UNESCO

Berlin

8,689

2011

Landesdenkmalamt Denkmalliste Berlin

Bogot

2013 UNESCO

Bogot

5,397

2013

SASPL/IDPC

Buenos Aires

2009

UNESCO

Buenos Aires

507

2013

CNMMLH

Hong Kong

2014

UNESCO

Hong Kong

1045

2011/12 LCSD

Istanbul

2012 UNESCO

Istanbul

30,188

2010

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

Johannesburg 1

2012 UNESCO

Johannesburg

281

2011

Provincial Heritage Resources Agency Gauteng

London

2012 UNESCO

Los Angeles

2013

London
18,901
2011

English Heritage
Heritage Counts 2011 London Report

Madrid

2014 UNESCO

Los Angeles

577

2013

California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation

Montral

2013 UNESCO

Madrid

253

2014 MCU

Moscow

2014 UNESCO

Mumbai

2012 UNESCO

New York

2012

Paris

2012 UNESCO

Rio de Janeiro

2013

UNESCO

So Paulo

2012

UNESCO

Seoul

2014 UNESCO

Shanghai

2012 UNESCO

Singapore

2014 UNESCO

Seoul
337
2014

Seoul Metropolitan Government/

Cultural Heritage Administration

Stockholm

2014

Shanghai

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Sydney

2012 UNESCO

Tokyo

2012 UNESCO

Toronto

2013 UNESCO

170

Notes

UNESCO

UNESCO

UNESCO

Montral
275
2010

MCC Ministre de la culture

et des communications du Qubec

Moscow

7,962

2014

Department of cultural heritage

Mumbai

42

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

1,482

2012

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Paris

3,792

2009

Ministre de la Culture et de la communication (DEPS)

Rio de Janeiro

103

2013

Instituto Estadual do Patrimnio Cultural INEPAC

So Paulo

47

2013

Instituto Estadual do Patrimnio Cultural INEPAC

2,049

2010

Singapore
67
2014

Preservation of Sites and Monuments,

National Heritage Board Singapore

Stockholm

189

2014

Lnsstyrelsen i Stockholm

Sydney

783

2012

Australian Heritage Database

Tokyo

419

2012

Agency for Cultural Affairs/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

61

2013

National Register of Historic Places

171

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

% of public green space (parks and gardens)

Theatres

Amsterdam

13%

2010

Amsterdam 57

Berlin

14.4%

2011 berlin.de

Statistics Netherlands

Bogot
4.4%
2013

Alcalda Mayor de Bogot,

Departamento Administrativo del Espacio Pblico

Buenos Aires

8.9%

2013

Hong Kong

41%

Istanbul

1.5%

Date Source
2012 LISA

Berlin
56
2010
Deutscher Bhnenverein Theaterstatistik

2009/2010

CABA

Bogot
74
2012

Secretara Distrital de Cultura,

Recreacin y Deporte/PLAMEC

2012

LCSD/AFCD

Buenos Aires

SINCA

2009

Urban Age

Hong Kong
42
2011/12 Hong Kong ADC Annual Arts Survey

Report (AAS) 2011/12

Johannesburg
24%
2002
State of the Environment Report, City of

Johannesburg 2009

Figure does not refer to the Gauteng

region but to the metropolitan area
of Johannesburg

287

2013

Istanbul
184
2010

Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul

Performing Arts Report

Urban Age

Johannesburg

24

2012

COJ 2030 report/VANSA

Los Angeles
6.7%
2012

Greater Los Angeles County Open Space

for Habitat and Recreation Plan

London

241

2013

Arts Council England & Visit London

Los Angeles

330

2013

SpacefinderLA

Madrid
35%
2014

Archivo del rea de Gobierno de Las Artes,

Deportes y Turismo. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Madrid

112

2014 BOP

Montral
14.8%
2013

Ville de Montral,
Direction des grands parcs et du verdissement

Montral

36

2013

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Moscow

182

2013

Department of culture

Moscow

54%

2013

Department of natural resources

Mumbai

120

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

2.5%

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

420

2012

Alliance for the Arts/NYC-ARTS

New York

14%

2012

NYC Parks & Recreation

Paris

353

2011 CNT

Paris

9.4%

2009

IAU Ile-de-France

Rio de Janeiro

158

2013

Funarte

Rio de Janeiro

29%

2013

SIG Florestas do RIO

So Paulo

116

2012

SPTuris

Seoul

2.3%

2012

Seoul Statistical Yearbook

Seoul

251

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

2.6%

2012 SMCBFTA

Singapore

14

2014

National Arts Council

Singapore

47%

2011

National Parks Board

Shanghai

97

2010 SYSCR2010

Stockholm

40%

2014

Stockholm Stad

Singapore

55

2012

Street Directory Singapore/AlloExpat Singapore

Sydney

46%

2010

New South Wales Department of Planning

Stockholm

80

2014

Eniro

Tokyo
3.4%
2011
Survey of Parks, Bureau of Construction, Tokyo

Metropolitan Government

Sydney

73

2012

Live Performance Australia/Yellow Pages

Tokyo

230

2012

Directory of Theatre Guide/NLI Research

Toronto

Toronto

75

2013

Toronto Theatre

London

38.4%

12.7%

172

2003

2012

Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation

Notes

Incomplete figure, limited to venues

mentioned in AAS 10/11

Estimated figure

173

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

2012 Adresdata

Deutscher Bhnenverein Theaterstatistik 2009/2010

Berlin

2012 berlin.de

Alternativa Teatral

Bogot
166
2012

2,132

2012

City of Amsterdam/BOP

Berlin

6,900

2010

Buenos Aires

5,415

2012

Hong Kong

6,470

2011/12 AAS 2011/12

Scaled up from weekly figures

2011 VANSA

London

2012

Time Out London

Johannesburg
Scaled up from weekly figures

Los Angeles
8,220
2010

Cultural Data Project/

Private communication from theatres

Madrid

4,667

2014

guiadelocio.com

Montral

3,804

2012

Ville de Montral/OCCQ

Moscow

16,440

2012

The Moscow City Government Website

Mumbai

8,750

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

43,004

2012

Time Out New York

Scaled up from weekly figures

Paris

26,676

2011

Officiel des Spectacles

Scaled up from weekly figures

Rio de Janeiro

2,256

2013

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura/Guia da Semana

Scaled up from weekly figures

Seoul

75,272

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Scaled up from weekly figures

Shanghai
15,618
2010
SYSCR2010/Shanghai Culture Yearbook 2011

(SCY2011)
Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013
Arts and Cultural Activities (National Arts Council)

Stockholm
3,000
2013

Estimated figure based on statistics

from public funded theatres and
prognoses for private theatres.

Sydney

4,966

2012

Time Out Sydney

Scaled up from weekly figures

Tokyo

24,575

2008

Pia Research Institute/NLI Research Institute

Figure estimated from national figure

Toronto

8,957

2013

Now Toronto

Scaled up from weekly figures

174

Notes

250

SDCRD/SUGA/Arte en Conexin/
Bogot Ciudad de la Msica

Istanbul
91
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Music

Industry Report

Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul

Performing Arts Report

Johannesburg 5,000

Singapore
3,930
2012

Date Source

Amsterdam 140

Amsterdam

32,448

Figure

No. of live music venues

No. of theatrical performances at all theatres per year

Istanbul
6,349
2010

City

46

2012

South African Music Rights Organisation/VANSA

London
349
2011
Time Out London/The Unsigned Band Guide 2011/

ViewLondon
Los Angeles

510

2013

LA Weekly/Zvents

Madrid

92

2014 Kedin

Montral

75

2013

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Moscow

367

2014

Moscow Affiche

Mumbai

98

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

277

2012

Alliance for the Arts/NYC-ARTS

Paris

423

2012

Pages Jaunes

So Paulo

294

2011

SPTuris

Seoul

79

2012

Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture

Shanghai

44

2012 STA

Stockholm

65

2014

Liveband

Sydney

143

2013

APRA|AMCOS

Tokyo

385

2012

Lets Enjoy Tokyo Directory

Toronto

149

2013

Just Show/Now Toronto

175

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of music performances per year

Major concert halls

Amsterdam

2013

Dutch Association of Theatres and Concert Halls

Amsterdam

4,160

2012

Berlin

2012

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Hong Kong

1,946

2011/12 AAS 2011/12

Bogot

2013 SDCRD

Johannesburg 7,400

2012 VANSA

Buenos Aires

2013

London

17,108

2012

Time Out London

Hong Kong

2011/12 AAS 2011/12

Los Angeles

2,036

2012

ExperienceLA

Madrid

4,082

2014

guiadelocio.com

Montral

3,395

2012

Ville de Montral/OCCQ

Moscow

9,766

2014

Moscow Affiche

Mumbai

593

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

22,204

2012

Time Out New York

Paris

33,020

2012 Lylo

Rio de janeiro

2,435

2013

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura/Guia da Semana

Seoul

11,624

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Shanghai

3,356

2008

Ministry of Culture

CABA

Istanbul
6
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Music

Industry Report

City of Amsterdam/BOP

Johannesburg 4

2012 VANSA

London

10

2011

Visit London/BOP

Los Angeles

2013

LACAC

Madrid

2014 BOP

Montral

11

2013

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Moscow

2014

Moscow State Philharmonic society

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

15

2012

BOP

Paris

15

2012

Mdiathque Cit de la musique/IAU Ile-de-France

Singapore
3,565
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Arts and Cultural Activities

Rio de janeiro

2013

Guia do Rio

Stockholm

8,533

2013

Svenska Tonsttares Internationella Musikbyr

So Paulo

2012

SPTuris

Sydney

1,014

2012

Time Out Sydney

Seoul

2012

Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture

Tokyo

15,617

2008

2009 Pia Research Institute

Shanghai

2012 STA

Toronto

14,967

2013

Now Toronto

Singapore

2014

Sydney

2012 BOP

Scaled up from weekly figures

Actuals from ExperienceLA listings
Scaled up from weekly figures
Scaled up from weekly figures
Scaled up from weekly figures
Scaled up from weekly figures
Scaled up from weekly figures

Scaled up from weekly figures

Scaled up from weekly figures

National Arts Council

Stockholm 5

2014

Tokyo

15

2011

Toronto

2013 BOP

176

Notes

NLI Research Institute

177

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

No. of dance performances per year

No. of comedy clubs

Amsterdam

2013

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Amsterdam

104

2012

City of Amsterdam/BOP

Berlin

15

2012

Qype Germany

Berlin

111

2010

Deutscher Bhnenverein Theaterstatistik 2009/2010

Istanbul

2011 istanbul.net.tr

Johannesburg 1

2011 VANSA

London

18

2012

Time Out London

Los Angeles

32

2013

LA Weekly, Timeout LA, Zvents

Madrid

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

48

2012

BOP

Paris

45

2012

Officiel des spectacles

Rio de Janeiro

2013

Stand up Comedy Brasil

So Paulo

2013

Stand up Comedy Brasil

Singapore

2012 BOP

Stockholm

20

2014 Google

Sydney

2012 BOP

Toronto

16

2013

Hong Kong
493
2011/12 AAS 2011/12

Istanbul

154

2010

Scaled up from weekly figures

Figure only for venues mentioned
in AAS 10/11

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

Johannesburg
250
2012
VANSA

Figure reflects contemporary dance

performances only

London

2,756

2012

Time Out London

Scaled up from weekly figures

Los Angeles

1,630

2013

Experience LA/LA Weekly/Zvent calendars

Scaled up from weekly figures

Madrid

351

2014

guiadelocio.com

Scaled up from weekly figures

Montral

669

2012

Ville de Montral/OCCQ

Mumbai

130

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

6,292

2012

Time Out New York

Scaled up from weekly figures

Paris

3,172

2012

Officiel des spectacles

Scaled up from weekly figures

Rio de Janeiro

3,657

2013

Secretaria Municipal de Cultura/Guia da Semana

Scaled up from weekly figures

So Paulo

5,200

2012

Guia da Folha

Scaled up from weekly figures

Seoul

1,528

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

No. of comedy shows/performances per year

Shanghai

1,686

2008

Ministry of Culture

Amsterdam 1,002

2012 cabaretinfo.nl

Johannesburg 508

2011 VANSA

Singapore
1,035
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Arts and Cultural Activities (National Arts Council)

London

11,388

2012

Time Out London

Scaled up from weekly figures

Stockholm

749

2008

The National Council of Cultural affaires

Los Angeles

5,624

2013

LA Weekly

Scaled up from weekly figures

Sydney

283

2012

Time Out/Ticketmaster/Sydney Opera House

Estimate/Scaled up from weekly figures

Madrid

1,105

2014

guiadelocio.com

Scaled up from weekly figures

Tokyo

1,598

2008

2009 Pia Research Institute/NLI Research Institute

Figure estimated from national figure

Montral

1,383

2012

Ville de Montral/OCCQ

Toronto

364

2013

Now Toronto/Toronto Arts online

Scaled up from weekly figures

Mumbai

217

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

11,076

2012

Time Out New York

Scaled up from weekly figures

Paris

10,348

2012

Officiel des spectacles

Scaled up from weekly figures

Rio de Janeiro

150

2013

Stand up Comedy Brasil

So Paulo

300

2012

Guia da Folha

Sydney

432

2012

Time Out Sydney

Scaled up from weekly figures

Tokyo

8,452

2008

2009 Pia Research Institute/NLI Research Institute

Figure estimated from national

Toronto

2,795

2013

Now Toronto

Scaled up from weekly figures

178

Yelp/BlogTO

179

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Specialist public cultural HE establishments

Art galleries
Amsterdam 182

2012 LISA

Amsterdam

11

2013

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Berlin

2012

Landesverband fr Berliner Gallerien

Berlin

2012

Das Bildungs-und Studenten-Portal

Buenos Aires
331
2013

Asociacin de Galeristas Argentinos

de Arte Contemporneo

Bogot

2013

Instituto Caro y Cuervo

Hong Kong

95

2014

ArtMap

Hong Kong
2
2011/12 Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts/

Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI)

Istanbul

267

2010

Ministry of Culture and Tourism

London

11

2010

HESA (2011)

2014

Asociacion de Galerias de Arte/Guia del Ocio

421

Johannesburg 76

2012 VANSA

Madrid

London

2012 BOP

Montral
1
2013
Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique

de Montral

857

Los Angeles
434
2013

Institute of Museum & Library Studies/

Visual Art Source

Madrid

299

2014

Montral

55

Moscow
Mumbai

Moscow

22

2014

Catalogue of Moscow HE establishments

Asociacion de Galerias de Arte/Guia del Ocio

Mumbai

18

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

2013

AGAC/RCAA

65

2014

Department of culture

Paris
30
2010
Ministre de la Culture et de la communication

(DEPS)

152

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York
721
2012

Alliance for the Arts/NYCARTS & Art Dealers

Association of America/Art-Collecting.com

Paris

1,046

2012

Tram/Pages jaunes

Rio de Janeiro

108

2008

Secretaria Municipal das Culturas, Armazm de dados

So Paulo

58

2011

Mapadasartes

Seoul

228

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Shanghai

208

2010

SMCBFTA/OSCS2011/STA

Singapore
258
2014

Singapore Cultural Statistics 20032007

Enablers of Arts and Culture Report/
Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Stockholm

120

2013

Yelp

Sydney

122

2012

Museums & Galleries NSW Directory/BOP

Rio de Janeiro

2013

Sistema e-mec Ministerio de Educao

So Paulo
2
2012

UNESP Instituto de Artes e Msica and USP

Escola de Comunicao e Artes

Seoul

2013

Korean Educational Development Institute

Shanghai

2010

Shanghai Education Statistics Manual 2011

Singapore
2
2013

Ministry of Education
Education Statistics Digest 2014

Stockholm

2013

The Swedish Higher Education Authority

Sydney

2012 universitiesaustralia.edu

Tokyo

2012

NLI Research Institute

Toronto

2013

OCAD/NBS

Tokyo
688
2011
Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Bureau of Citizens

and Cultural Affairs/2011 Bijutsu-Nenkansha/NLI

Research Institute
Toronto

127

180

2013

Arts Dealer Association of Canada

181

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Specialist private cultural HE establishment

No. of students of specialist Art & Design public institutions

Berlin

12

2012

berlin.de/movie-college.de

Amsterdam

5,641

2012

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Bogot

2013

SNIES/SDCRD

Berlin

5,091

2009

Das Bildungs-und Studenten-Portal

Bogot

3,112

2012

SNIES/SDCRD

Hong Kong
2
2011/12 Savannah College of Art and Design Hong Kong/

Hong Kong Art School
Johannesburg 24

2012 VANSA

London

2012 BOP

46

Los Angeles
14
2013
Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation/

LACAC

Hong Kong
6,848
2011/12 Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Annual Report 2011/12/

Hong Kong Design Institute
London

34,920

2010

HESA (2011)

Madrid

2,144

2013/14 BOP

Madrid

26

2014 BOP

Montral

80

2013 MESRST

Moscow

13

2014

Mumbai

1,375

2011

Montral

2013 ADSAM

New York

12

2011

Center for an Urban Future

Paris

73

2011

LEtudiant/IAU Ile-de-France (Visiaurif)

Rio de Janeiro

2013

Sistema e-mec Ministerio de Educao

So Paulo

2012

Prefeitura de So Paulo

Seoul

50

2013

Korean Educational Development Institute

Shanghai

18

2011

Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

Catalogue of Moscow HE establishments

Singapore
7
2013

Ministry of Education
Education Statistics Digest 2014

Stockholm

290

2013

The Swedish Higher Education Authority

Sydney

20

2012 universitiesaustralia.edu

Tokyo

16

2012

NLI Research Institute

Toronto

16

2013

BOP/canadafilm.com

182

Notes

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Paris
14,024
2010

Ministre de la culture et de la communication/

Manufacture nationale de Svres/CCIP

Seoul
2,484
2013

Center for H.E.I Information Disclosure

(Korea Council for University Education)

Shanghai

13,324

2010 SESM2011

Singapore

4,645

2013

Ministry of Education, Singapore

Sydney

15,571

2010

National institute of dramatic arts/National Art School

Stockholm

825

2013

The Swedish Higher Education Authority

Tokyo
24,120
2011

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Citizens

and Cultural Affairs/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

OCAD/NBS

315

2012

183

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of students of Art & Design degree courses at generalist universities

No. of non-professional dance schools

Amsterdam

2,201

2012

Elsevier De beste studies 2012

Amsterdam

166

2013

Yellow Pages

Bogot

47,686

2012

SNIES/SDCRD

Berlin

104

2012

Gelbe Seiten

Hong Kong

2,424

2011/12 University Grants Committee (UGC)

Istanbul

98

2012

Yellow Pages

Istanbul
774
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Visual

Arts Report
Johannesburg

9,066

2010

Department of Higher Education

London

15,745

2010

HESA (2011)

Madrid

18,042

2013/14 MECD

Montral

9,139

2013 MESRST

Rio de Janeiro

1,899

2013

MEC/INEP/DEED/CSI

Seoul

82,925

2013

Korean Educational Development Institute

Shanghai

43,501

2012

Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

Singapore
4,492
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Arts Education (National Arts Council)

Stockholm

The Swedish Higher Education Authority

7,271

2013

Sydney
13,972
2010

Australian Government Department of Education,

2010 Students Higher Education Statistics

Tokyo
25,444
2011

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Citizens

and Cultural Affairs/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

Common University Data Ontario

12,536

184

2011

Johannesburg 36

2012 VANSA

London

618

2012 Yell

Los Angeles

78

2013

Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles

Madrid

147

2014

Paginas Amarillas

Montral

109

2013

Pages Jaunes

Moscow

628

2014

Yellow pages

New York

682

2012

NYC Performing Arts Spaces

Paris

715

2012

Pages jaunes

Rio de Janeiro
856
2013

Apontador/Telelistas/
Liga das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro

So Paulo

1096

2012

Guia So Paulo

Seoul

99

2014

Korea Telephone Directory

Shanghai

438

2012 Dianping.com

Singapore

96

2014

Stockholm

200

2014 kurser.se

Sydney

441

2012

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Yellow Pages

Tokyo
748
2012

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation/

NLI Research Institute

Toronto

Yellow page

28

2013

Notes

185

City

Figure

Date Source

Cinemas

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Cinema screens

Amsterdam

39

2013

Berlin

94

Bogot
Buenos Aires

Dutch Federation for Cinematography

Amsterdam

134

2013

Dutch Federation for Cinematography

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

Berlin

266

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

46

2012

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Bogot

243

2012

76

2013

SINCA

Hong Kong

198

2011/12 HKMPIA

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Hong Kong
46
2011/12 Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association

(HKMPIA)

Istanbul
501
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Istanbul
118
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Johannesburg

368

2012

NFVF/VANSA

London

566

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Los Angeles

1,073

2013

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Johannesburg

47

2012

NFVF/VANSA

London

108

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Los Angeles

133

2013

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Madrid
43
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))
Montral
20
2012

Observatoire de la Culture
et des communications du Qubec

Moscow
112
2014

Unified federal automated information system

of film screening

Mumbai

105

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

117

2012

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Paris

302

2010 CNC

Rio de Janeiro

42

2012

Ancine

So Paulo

46

2012

Ancine

Seoul

91

2014

Korean Film Council

Shanghai

230

Singapore

Madrid
244
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))
Montral
192
2012

Observatoire de la Culture
et des communications du Qubec

Moscow

585

2013

Department of culture

Mumbai

232

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

501

2012

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Paris

1003

2010 CNC

Rio de Janeiro

189

2012

Ancine

So Paulo

293

2012

Ancine

Seoul

537

2014

Korean Film Council

Shanghai

670

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

2012 SMCBFTA

Singapore
207
2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Yearbook of Statistics 2014
(Culture and Recreation)

30

2014

Wikipedia List of cinemas in Singapore

Stockholm

136

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Stockholm

21

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Sydney

295

2012

Movie Fix/Screen Australia

Sydney

67

2011

Movie Fix

Tokyo
334
2010

Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Toronto

Cineplex/Cinemaclock/Box Office Mojo

Tokyo
82
2010

Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Toronto

Cineplex/Cinemaclock/Box Office Mojo

56

186

2013

297

2013

Figure estimated from regional figure

187

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of cinema screens per million population

No. of films given theatrical release in the country in a year

Amsterdam

57

2013

Amsterdam

Berlin

77

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

Bogot

32

2012

Hong Kong

28

2011/12 HKMPIA

Dutch Federation for Cinematography

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Istanbul
38
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report
Johannesburg

33

2012

NFVF/VANSA

London

73

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Los Angeles

109

2013

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Observatoire de la Culture
et des communications du Qubec

Moscow

48

2013

The Moscow city government

Mumbai

19

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

61

2012

cinematreasures.org/mrmovietimes.com

Paris

85

Rio de Janeiro

2012

Dutch Filmdistributors Association

Berlin
508
2010

Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft

Filmstatistisches Jarbuch 2011

Bogot

218

2012

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Buenos Aires

336

2012

DEISICA

Hong Kong

310

2013

HKMPIA

Istanbul
254
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Madrid
77
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))
Montral
102
2012

364

Johannesburg 203

2011 NFVF

London

557

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Los Angeles

510

2012

hollywood.com/Nash Information Services

Madrid

1,482

2012 MCU

Montral
576
2011
Canadian Association of Film Distributors

and Exporters
Moscow

464

2013 Kinopoisk

Mumbai
3,781
2010

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC),

Mumbai, Annual Report 2010

2010 CNC

New York

510

2012

hollywood.com/Nash Information Services

30

2012

Ancine

Paris

575

2010 CNC

So Paulo

26

2012

Ancine

Rio de Janeiro

303

2010

ECINE

Seoul

53

2014

Korean Film Council

So Paulo

303

2010

ECINE

Shanghai

28

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Seoul

907

2013

Korean Film Council

Singapore
38
2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Yearbook of Statistics 2014 (Culture and Recreation)

Shanghai

252

2011 STA

Singapore

310

2013

Box Office Mojo Singapore

Sydney

64

2012

Movie Fix/Screen Australia

Stockholm

248

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Stockholm

63

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Sydney

342

2011

Screen Australia

Tokyo

799

2011

Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan

Tokyo
25
2010

Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Toronto

Cineplex/Cinemaclock/Box Office Mojo

114

188

2013

Notes

Figure estimated from regional figure

Toronto
576
2011
Canadian Association of Film Distributors

and Exporters

189

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of foreign films given theatrical release in the country in a year

Film festivals

Amsterdam

Dutch Filmdistributors Association

Amsterdam

35

2013

Berlin
315
2010

Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft

Filmstatistisches Jarbuch 2011

Berlin

33

2012 berlin.de

Bogot

174

2012

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Bogot
19
2013

Direccin de Cinematografa
Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia

Buenos Aires

200

2012

DEISICA

Buenos Aires

20

2013

INCAA

Hong Kong

30

2011/12 AAS 2011/12

301

2012

Hong Kong
268
2013
HKMPIA


Istanbul
184
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report
Johannesburg 21

2011 NFVF

London

438

2010

Madrid

1160

2012 MCU

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Montral
482
2011
Canadian Association of Film Distributors

and Exporters
Moscow

298

2013 Kinopoisk

Figure is for all non-Hong Kong films,

including films produced
in Mainland China and Taiwan

Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Istanbul
35
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Music

Industry Report
Johannesburg

16

2012

NFVF/VANSA

London

61

2011

British Council

Los Angeles
54
2013
about.com Los Angeles Film Festival Calendar 2013/

ExperienceLA
Madrid

24

2012 EsMadrid

Montral

34

2012

Ville de Montral

Moscow

43

2014

Movie business website

Mumbai

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

57

2012

NYC.gov

Paris

190

2010

Drac Ile-de-France

Mumbai
298
2010

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC),

Mumbai, Annual Report 2010

Rio de Janeiro

228

2010

ECINE

Paris

305

2010 CNC

Rio de Janeiro

16

2013

BOP/Forum dos Festivais

So Paulo

228

2010

ECINE

So Paulo

29

2011

ECINE

Seoul

724

2013

Korean Film Council

Shanghai

60

2011 Filmsh

Seoul
53
2013

Seoul Metropolitan Government/

Korean Film Council/
Internet Portal Site(NAVER, DAUM)

Stockholm

199

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Shanghai

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Sydney

306

2011

Screen Australia

Singapore

19

2014

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

Tokyo

358

2011

Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan

Stockholm

20

2014

City of Stockholm

Sydney

36

2012

Weekend Notes Sydney

Tokyo

35

2012

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

Toronto

65

2012 TorontoFilmFestivals.com

Toronto
482
2011
Canadian Association of Film Distributors

and Exporters

190

Notes

191

City

Figure

Date Source

Bookshops

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Bookshops per 100.000 population

Amsterdam 165

2012 LISA

Amsterdam 7

2012 LISA

Berlin

245

2012

Berlin

2012

Bogot

269

2009 CERLALC

Bogot

3.5

2009 CERLALC

Buenos Aires

734

2013

SINCA

Buenos Aires

25

2013

SINCA

Hong Kong

1,590

2013

Census and Statistics Department

Hong Kong

22

2013

Census and Statistics Department

Istanbul

463

2012

Yellow Pages

Istanbul

2012

Yellow Pages

Johannesburg

1,020

2012

VANSA/SABDA

Johannesburg

2012

VANSA/SABDA

London

802

2011

Booksellers Association

London

10

2011

Booksellers Association

Los Angeles

474

2013

Future of Publishing Think Tank/LACAC

Los Angeles

2013

Future of Publishing Think Tank/LACAC

Madrid

497

2014

Paginas Amarillas

Madrid

16

2014

Paginas Amarillas

Montral

112

2011

Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Montral

2011

Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Moscow

542

2014

Yellow Pages

Moscow

4.48

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

525

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

777

2012

Citysearch

New York

2012

Citysearch

Paris

1,025

2011

le Motif

Paris

2011

le Motif

Rio de Janeiro

296

2011

Associao Nacional de Livrarias (ANL)

Rio de Janeiro

2011

Associao Nacional de Livrarias (ANL)

So Paulo

390

2011

ANL

So Paulo

3.5

2011

ANL

Seoul

474

2013

Korean Federation of Bookstore Association

Seoul

4.7

2013

Korean Federation of Bookstore Association

Shanghai

1,322

2010 SCY2011

Shanghai

15

2010 SCY2011

Singapore

164

2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Singapore

2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Stockholm

70

2014

Svenska Antikvariatfreningen

Stockholm

3.24

2014

Svenska Antikvariatfreningen

Sydney

439

2012

Yellow Pages

Sydney

10

2012

Yellow Pages

Tokyo

1,675

2009

Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc

Tokyo

13

2009

Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc

Toronto

298

2013 BOP

Toronto

11

2013 BOP

192

Gelbe Seiten

Gelbe Seiten

193

City

Figure

Date Source

Rare and second-hand bookshops

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of book titles published in the country in a year

Berlin

2012

Gelbe Seiten

Amsterdam

54,087

2011

Royal Book Trading Association

Buenos Aires

102

2012

CAPLA

Berlin

93,124

2010

Borsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels

Johannesburg

943

2012

VANSA/SABDA database

Bogot

14,235

2012

Agencia Colombiana del ISBN/CERLALC

London

68

2011 Experian

Buenos Aires

23,680

2012

CAL (Cmara Argentina del Libro)

Madrid

32

2014

Paginas Amarillas

Hong Kong

15,475

2011/12 LCSD

Montral

16

2013

Pages Jaunes

Istanbul

34,863

2010

Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Moscow

16

2014

City of Moscow

Johannesburg

3,653

2010

South African Publishers Association

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

London

151,969

2010

The Booksellers Association/Nielsen Book

New York

99

2012

Citysearch

Paris

282

2012

Pages jaunes

Los Angeles
292,037
2011
Bowker

Rio de Janeiro

68

2013

Sebos do Brasil

So Paulo

90

2011

Guia Mais

Seoul

105

2014

Seoul Metropolitan Library

Shanghai

343

2012 kongfz.com

Singapore

12

2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Stockholm

20

2014

Svenska Antikvariatfreningen

New York
292,037
2009
Bowker

Sydney

93

2012

Yellow Pages

Paris

74,788

2009 SNE

Tokyo
681
2012

Japanese Association of Dealers in Old Books/

NLI Research Institute

Rio de Janeiro

57,600

2009

CBL

So Paulo

57,600

2009

CBL

Toronto

Yellow pages

Seoul

43,146

2013

Korean Publishers Association

48

194

2013

Notes

Madrid
56,435
2013

INE, Press Release:

estadistica de produccion editorial 2013

Montral

6,564

2011

Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Moscow

120,520

2013

Russian Book Chamber

Mumbai

82,537

2008

Federation of Indian Publishers

Shanghai
328,387
2010

The General Administration of Press and Publication

of the P. R. China

Stockholm

10,733

2014

Svenska Frlggarefreningen

Sydney

8,602

2005

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo
78,501
2009

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC)

Toronto

Institut de la statistique du Qubec

6,564

2011

Includes traditional
& nontraditional publishers

Includes traditional
& nontraditional publishers

Figure for Australian Titles Only

195

City

Figure

Date Source

Night clubs, discos and dance halls

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of bars

Amsterdam

36

2012

Trade Association for Horeca and Catering

Amsterdam

1,504

2012

Trade Association for Horeca and Catering

Berlin

152

2012

Club Guide Berlin

Berlin

1,247

2008

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Buenos Aires
140
2013

Ministerio de Justicia y Seguridad

Agencia Gubernamental de Control

Buenos Aires
3,642
2013

AHRCC (Ascociacin de Hoteles, Restaurantes,

Confiteras y Cafs de la Ciudad)

Hong Kong

HK Industry Statistics

Hong Kong

1,220

2012

HK Industry Statistics
Yellow Pages

80

2012

Johannesburg 130

2012 VANSA

Istanbul

657

2012

London

337

2011 Yell

London

2,143

2011 Yell

Los Angeles

731

2013

Citysearch/Yelp

Los Angeles

3,248

2013

Madrid
212
2014

Departamento de Datos Estadsticos,

Direccin General de Estadstica,
Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Madrid
5,877
2014

Direccin General de Estadstica.

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral

68

2013

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Montral
1,287
2013

Rgie des alcools, des courses

et des jeux du Qubec

Moscow

371

2014

Yellow Pages

Moscow

581

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

29

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

543

2012

Yellow Pages

New York

584

2012

Citysearch

New York

7,224

2012

New York State Liquor Authority

Paris

190

2012

Time out Paris

Paris

3,350

2009 Synhorcat

Rio de Janeiro

240

2012

SindRio, Sindicato de Hotis, Bares e Restaurantes

Rio de Janeiro

12,072

2012

So Paulo
184
2012

SinHoRes, Sindicato de Hotis, Restaurantes,

Bares e Similares de So Paulo

So Paulo
15,000
2012

SinHoRes, Sindicato de Hotis, Restaurantes,

Bares e Similares de So Paulo

Seoul

222

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul

19,113

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

1,865

2011 STA

Shanghai

1,320

2012 s.baidu.com

Singapore

57

2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Singapore

659

2014

Sydney

75

2012

Yellow Pages

Stockholm

414

2013 118100.se

Tokyo

73

2012

Time Out Tokyo

Sydney

661

2011

NSW Government Licensing Service

Toronto

250

2013 Hype1

Tokyo

14,184

2012

Kakaku.com. Inc.

Toronto

957

2013

TO Bars

196

Notes

Citysearch/Yelp

SindRio, Sindicato de Hotis, Bares e Restaurantes

Eguide Singapore Business Directory Bars and Pubs

197

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Bars per 100,000 population

No. of restaurants

Amsterdam

64

2012

Trade Association for Horeca and Catering

Amsterdam

1,312

2012

Trade Association for Horeca and Catering

Berlin

36

2008

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Berlin

4,885

2008

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Buenos Aires
126
2013

AHRCC (Ascociacin de Hoteles, Restaurantes,

Confiteras y Cafs de la Ciudad)

Bogot

6,158

2013

Cmara de Comercio de Bogot

Hong Kong

17

2012

HK Industry Statistics

Buenos Aires
2,823
2013

AHRCC (Ascociacin de Hoteles, Restaurantes,

Confiteras y Cafs de la Ciudad)

Istanbul

2012

Yellow Pages

Hong Kong

11,834

2012

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

London

27

2011 Yell

Istanbul

1,508

2012

Yellow Pages

Los Angeles

33

2013

Citysearch/Yelp

Johannesburg

15,000

2012

FEDHASA/VANSA

Madrid
186
2014

Direccin General de Estadstica.

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

London

37,450

2011

Food Standards Agency

Montral

68

2013

Rgie des alcools, des courses et des jeux du Qubec

Moscow

4.8

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

88

2012

New York State Liquor Authority

Paris

30

2009

Synhorcat/Insee

Rio de Janeiro

191

2012

SindRio, Sindicato de Hotis, Bares e Restaurantes

So Paulo
133
2012

SinHoRes, Sindicato de Hotis, Restaurantes,

Bares e Similares de So Paulo

Seoul

188

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

2012 STA

Singapore
12
2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Bars and Pubs

Stockholm

19

2013 118100.se

Sydney

14

2011

NSW Government Licensing Service

Tokyo

108

2012

Kakaku.com. Inc.

Toronto

37

2013

TO Bars

198

Los Angeles
28,787
2013
LA County Department of Public Health

Food Facility Ratings/City of Pasadena

Restaurant Inspections

Notes

Estimate
Does not include restaurants
in the cities of Long Beach and Vernon

Madrid

6,334

2014

Direccin General de Estadstica. Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral

2,283

2013

Rgie des alcools, des courses et des jeux du Qubec

Moscow

3,159

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

13,205

2012

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Diary

New York
24,149
2012
New York City Department of Health Restaurant

Inspection Information
Paris

22,327

2010

Ple emploi

Rio de Janeiro

6,576

2012

SindRio, Sindicato de Hotis, Bares e Restaurantes

So Paulo
12,500
2012

SinHoRes, Sindicato de Hotis, Restaurantes,

Bares e Similares de So Paulo

Seoul

80,708

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

55,614

2012 dianping.com

Singapore
2,426
2012

Department of Statistics Singapore

Service Survey Series (Food & Beverage) 2012

Stockholm

2,000

2013 118100.se

Sydney

4,554

2011

NSW Government Licensing Service

Tokyo
150,510
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Social

Welfare and Public Health

Toronto

Toronto Municipal Licensing

7,983

2013

199

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

No. of restaurants per 100.000 population

No. of Michelin star restaurants

Amsterdam

56

2012

Trade Association for Horeca and Catering

Amsterdam

18

2012

Guide Michelin

Berlin

141

2008

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Berlin

14

2012

Michelin Guide Website

Bogot

80

2013

Cmara de Comercio de Bogot

Hong Kong

62

2012

Michelin Hong Kong Macau 2012

Buenos Aires
98
2013

AHRCC (Ascociacin de Hoteles, Restaurantes,

Confiteras y Cafs de la Ciudad)

London

64

2012

Via Michelin

Los Angeles

20

2009

Michelin Guide to Los Angeles 2009

Hong Kong

166

2012

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Madrid

2014

Via Michelin

Istanbul

11

2012

Yellow Pages

New York

62

2012

Michelin Travel

Johannesburg

133

2012

FEDHASA/VANSA

Paris

97

2012

Guide Michelin

London

478

2011

Food Standards Agency

Singapore

2014

Michelin Guide

Stockholm

2014

Guide Michelin

Tokyo

247

2012

Michelin Japan/NLI Research Institute

Los Angeles
293
2013
LA County Department of Public Health

Food Facility Ratings/City of Pasadena

Restaurant Inspections
Madrid
200
2014

Direccin General de Estadstica.

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral

121

2013

Rgie des alcools, des courses et des jeux du Qubec

Moscow

26

2014

Yellow Pages

Mumbai

11

2012

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Diary

Does not include restaurants

in the cities of Long Beach and Vernon

New York
295
2012
New York City Department of Health Restaurant

Inspection Information
Paris

189

2010

Ple emploi

Rio de Janeiro

104

2012

SindRio, Sindicato de Hotis, Bares e Restaurantes

So Paulo
111
2012

SinHoRes, Sindicato de Hotis, Restaurantes,

Bares e Similares de So Paulo

Seoul

796

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

237

2012 dianping.com

Singapore
44
2012

Department of Statistics Singapore

Service Survey Series (Food & Beverage) 2012

Stockholm

92

2013 118100.se

Sydney

99

2012

NSW Government Licensing Service

Tokyo
1,144
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Social

Welfare and Public Health

Toronto

Toronto Municipal Licensing

305

200

2013

201

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of markets

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Festivals and celebrations

Amsterdam

104

2013

Central Association for Markets and Trading

Amsterdam

293

2013

City of Amsterdam |I amsterdam

Bogot

39

2013

IDT/IPES

Berlin

63

2012

Time Out Berlin

Buenos Aires
104
2013

Direccin General de Ferias y Mercados;

y Subsecretaria de Uso del Espacio Pblico

Bogot

319

2013

IDT/IDCP/Corferias

Buenos Aires

95

2013

Direccin de Festivales del GCBA/SINCA

Hong Kong

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

Hong Kong

56

2011/12 Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)

102

2012

Johannesburg 37

2012 VANSA

London

113

2008

The London Market Guide

Istanbul
136
2010
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Music

Industry Report

Los Angeles

184

2012

LA Times/Timeout LA/collectors.org

Johannesburg 82

2012 VANSA

Madrid

50

2014

Mercadillo Semanal

London

254

2011

Visit London

Los Angeles

257

2012

ExperienceLA

Madrid

69

2013/14 TimeOut/EsMadrid/Comunidad de Madrid

Montral
21
2013
Corporation de gestion des marchs publics

de Montral
Moscow

128

2014

Yellow pages

New York
100
2011
NYC Office of Citywide Event Coordination

Management
Paris

2,124

2010

Ple emploi

Rio de Janeiro

14

2012

TurisRio

So Paulo

43

2011

Biblioteca Virtual

Seoul

364

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

262

2011 STA

Sydney

30

2012

Local Market Guide Australia

Toronto

43

2013

Farmer's Market Ontario

202

Notes

Montral
144
2012
Ville de Montral

Moscow

537

2013

KudaGo

Mumbai

34

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

This number excludes events

and festivals managed by boroughs

New York
309
2011
NYC Office of Citywide Event Coordination

Management
Paris
360
2011
Direction Rgionale des Affaires Culturelles

dIle-de-France
Rio de Janeiro

368

2013

TurisRio

Seoul

298

2012

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

33

2010 OSCS2011

Singapore
17
2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Arcade Game Centres

Stockholm
50
2013

Stockholm City Culture Administration/

Stockholm County Council

Sydney

312

2012

Weekend Notes Sydney

Tokyo

485

2011

Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. & Gurunavi, Inc.

Toronto

203

2013

Hot Toronto/Timeout Toronto

203

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

No. of international students studying in the city

Amsterdam
6,628
2012
City of Amsterdam

Berlin

21,805

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Buenos Aires

73,416

2013

ETI CABA

Hong Kong
20,900
2011/12 Education Bureau


Istanbul
6,643
2011

OSYM (grenci Seme Yerlestirme Merkezi/

Student Selection and Placement Center)

Johannesburg

37,067

2010

Department of Higher Education and Training

London

99,360

2010

UKCISA (UK Council for International Students Affairs)

Los Angeles

39,503

2012

Institute of International Education

Madrid

17,780

2011/12 BOP

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of video games arcades

Figure only for public-funded
HE institutions

Figure refers to the number of non-local

students studying in post-secondary
institutions in the period.

Hong Kong

47

2014

Yellow Pages

Istanbul

18

2010

Yellow Pages

Johannesburg 11

2012 VANSA

London

44

2012 Yell

Los Angeles

41

2013

Yelp/Citysearch

Madrid

2014

Paginas Amarillas

Montral

2013 Yelp

Mumbai

278

2012

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

17

2012

Citysearch

Paris

14

2012

IAU Ile-de-France Estimate

Rio de Janeiro

2013

Glio/Apontador/Guiaamais

Montral
21,425
2012

Ministre de l'Enseignement Suprieur, de la Recherche,

des Sciences et de la Technologie du Qubec

Seoul
187
2012
Seoul Metropolitan Government

Moscow
69,926
2012

Ministry of Education and Science of the

Russian Federation/Center of Sociological Research

Shanghai

Mumbai

1,500

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Singapore
17
2014

Eguide Singapore Business Directory

Arcade Game Centres

New York

60,791

2010

Institute of International Education

Stockholm

2014

Swedish Games Industry

Ministre de lducation nationale, de lenseignement

suprieur et de la recherche

Sydney

10

2012

Yellow Pages

Tokyo

997

2010

National Police Agency

Toronto

2013 Yelp

Paris
96,782
2007

Rio de Janeiro
2,185
2012
MEC/INEP/DEED/CSI (INEPDATA)

Figure does not include

post-graduate students

Seoul
24,164
2013
Korean Educational Development Institute

Figure excludes students in

language courses

Shanghai

43,016

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Singapore

80,000

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm

7,672

2014

The Swedish Higher Education Authority

Sydney

100,000

2012

Australian Education International/Access Economics Estimate

Tokyo

43,188

2011

Japan Student Services Organisation

Toronto

57,847

2011

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

204

Notes

587

The city is also home

to 3,279 additional PC-Bangs
(LAN-gaming center)

2010 OSCS2011

205

World cities cultural consumption and participation

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Museums/galleries attendance % working age population attending once per year

Amsterdam

77%

2011

Hong Kong
17%
2009

Netherlands Museums Association

2011 VANSA

London

2010

54%

Montral

64%

2009

Ministre de la Culture et des Communications

Moscow

36%

2012

Research by MISCP

Paris

43%

2008

Ministre de la culture et de la communication

Shanghai

47%

2010

SSY2011

Stockholm

52%

2012

The SOM Institute

Sydney

26%

2008

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo
33%
2006

Japan Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs

and Communications (MIAC)/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

Ontario Arts Engagement Study

49%

2011

National number for % of adults (18+)

DCMS Taking Part Survey 2011

Madrid
40%
2010/11 Ministerio de Cultura. Encuesta de Hbitos y

Prcticas Culturales en Espaa 20102011

Date Source

Notes

Comunidad de Madrid, number refers

only to museums.

Amsterdam

4,520,800

2011

Berlin

4,718,729

2010 berlin.de

Bogot

1,490,703

2012

SIMCO/Red Nacional de Museos/Ministerio de Cultura

Buenos Aires

1,840,473

2011

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

Hong Kong

3,670,000

2011/12 LCSD

Istanbul

7,131,480

2011

Johannesburg 676,208
London

Figure includes both adults and children

Netherlands Museums Association

Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

2011 VANSA

25,327,221 2011 DCMS

Los Angeles
3,906,229
2011

The Art Newspaper/

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

Madrid

8,288,887

2013

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral

2,983,001

2012

Tourisme Montral

Moscow

6,440,575

2013

The Art Newspaper Russia

Mumbai

1,800,895

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

15,417,115

2011

DCA/The Art Newspaper

Paris

23,416,427

2010

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France

Rio de Janeiro

2,841,634

2012

IBRAM/BOP Consulting

So Paulo

2,845,024

2012

Prefeitura de So Paulo

Seoul

14,396,762

2012

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Shanghai

6,633,392

2011 STA

Singapore

2,871,500

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm

4,097,000

2012

Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis

Sydney
2,844,063
2011

The Art Newspaper Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011/BOP Consulting

Tokyo
9,732,107
2009

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division, Management
and Coordination Section/NLI Research Institute

Toronto

206

Figure

No. of visits to top five most visited museums and galleries

Central Policy Unit Survey

on Audienceship of Arts & Cultural Activities

Johannesburg 8%

City

3,343,646

2012 BOP

207

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of visits to top five museums and galleries per capita

Average daily no. of visits to top five art exhibitions

Amsterdam

1.92

2011

Berlin

1.36

2010 berlin.de

Amsterdam
3,038
2012
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2012

Bogot

0.2

2012

SIMCO/Red Nacional de Museos/Ministerio de Cultura

Buenos Aires

0.64

2011

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

Hong Kong

0.51

2011/12 LCSD

Istanbul

0.52

2011

Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Johannesburg

0.05

2011

Primary consultation with museums and galleries

London

3.2

2011 DCMS

Netherlands Museums Association

Berlin
1,653
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011
Hong Kong
1,499
2011/12 LCSD

London
4,011
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011

The Art Newspaper/

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

Madrid

2.61

2013

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Montral

1.58

2012

Tourisme Montral

Moscow

0.53

2013

The Art Newspaper Russia

Mumbai

0.14

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

New York

1.89

2011

DCA/The Art Newspaper

New York
5,783
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011

Paris

2009

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France/Insee

Paris

Rio de Janeiro

0.45

2012

IBRAM/BOP Consulting

So Paulo

0.25

2012

Prefeitura de So Paulo

Rio de Janeiro
5,283
2012
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2012

Seoul

1.42

2012

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Shanghai

0.28

2011 STA

Singapore

0.52

2013

Sydney
0.62
2011

The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011/BOP Consulting

Stockholm

Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis

1.89

2012

Tokyo
0.75
2009


Toronto

1.28

208

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

General Affairs, Statistics Division, Management
and Coordination Section/NLI Research Institute

Figure refers only to exhibitions

held by LCSD

Istanbul
2,179
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011

Los Angeles
0.4
2011

Department of Statistics Singapore

Notes

Los Angeles
2,012
2012
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2012
Madrid

2,999

2013

The Arts Newspaper/BOP

Montral

1,794

2011

Ville de Montral, Direction Culture et Patrimoine

Moscow

17,645

2013

City of Moscow

8,130

2010

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France/IAU Ile-de-France

So Paulo
3,182
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011
Shanghai

10,342

2010 STA

Sydney
2,104
2011
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2011
Tokyo

6,258

2010

Seikatsu no Tomo Co./NLI Research Institute

Toronto
6,667
2012
The Art Newspaper, Exhibitions & Museum Attendance

Figures 2012

2012 BOP

209

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Figure

Date Source

Figure only concerns members

of the Dutch Association of Theatres

Amsterdam
0.93
2012
Dutch Association of Theatres and Concert Halls

Berlin

2,378,818

2010

Kulturfrderbericht 2011 des Landes Berlin

Berlin

0.69

2010

Kulturfrderbericht 2011 des Landes Berlin

Buenos Aires

3,893,044

2011

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

Buenos Aires

1.35

2011

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

Hong Kong
3,420,000
2011/12 Hong Kong ADC Annual Arts Survey Report

(AAS) 2011/12
Istanbul

2,358,146

2010

Figures concerns only to admissions to

main theatres in the AAS 2011/12

Hong Kong
0.48
2011/12 AAS 2011/12

Istanbul

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

0.18

2010

2011 VANSA

Johannesburg 0.15

2011 VANSA

London

2012/13 SOLT

London

2012/13 SOLT

2.61

Los Angeles
1,942,120
2010

Cultural Data Project/

Private communication from theatres

Los Angeles
0.2
2010

Cultural Data Project/

Private communication from theatres

Madrid

2,620,348

2008

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Madrid

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Moscow

7,472,000

2013

Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system

Montral
0.38
2012
Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ)

Montral
718,102
2012
Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ)

0.83

2008

0.62

2013

Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system

2,673,563

2012

Mumbai Theatre Guide

Mumbai

0.21

2012

Mumbai Theatre Guide

New York

28,187,344

2011

DCA/NYC & Co.

New York

3.45

2011

DCA/NYC & Co.

Paris
5,700,000
2008
ASTP (Association pour le soutien au Thtre priv)/ Figure only concerns private theatres

IAU dF

Paris
0.5
2008

ASTP/SACD/Ministre de la Culture
et de la communication (DEPS)/Insee

Seoul

17,808,291

2012

Seoul

1.76

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Shanghai

630,200

2010 OSCS2011

Shanghai

0.27

2010

OSCS2011/STA

Singapore
858,500
2012

Singapore
0.16
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Attendance at Arts and Cultural Events

Stockholm
2,000,000
2012
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern

Public and independent theatres

statistics, private theatre estimates.

Figure only concerns private theatres

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Attendance at Arts and Cultural Events

Stockholm
0.92
2012
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern

Sydney

700,700

2008

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Sydney

0.15

2008

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo

12,011,000

2008

2009 Pia Research Institute

Tokyo

0.93

2008

2009 Pia Research Institute

Toronto

2,500,000

2008

Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

Toronto

0.96

2008

Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

210

Figure only concerns venues

mentioned in AAS 10/11

Moscow

Mumbai

Korea Arts Management Service

Figure only concerns members of the

Dutch Association of Theatres

Turkish Statistical Institute Cultural Statistics

Johannesburg 1,700,000
22,000,000

Notes

No. of theatre admissions per capita per year

No. of admissions at all theatres per year

Amsterdam
2,180,431
2012
Dutch Association of Theatres and Concert Halls

City

Public and independent theatres

statistics, private theatre estimates.

211

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Berlin
$47,683,000
2009

Figure only concerns members

of the Dutch Association of Theatres

Hong Kong
$79,944,898
2011/12 LCSD /AAS 2011/12

Firugre concerns only to theatre

programmes staging in venues which
are mentioned in the AAS 2011/12.

Johannesburg $13,722,800 2011 VANSA

Estimate

$890,451,086

2012/13 SOLT

Los Angeles

$61,808,636

2012

Cultural Data Project/LACAC

Madrid
$120,730,066
2013
BOP

Estimated based on admissions and

sales value from Entradas.com

Unified interdepartmental information and

statistical system

Mumbai
$41,214,166
2011
Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Figure estimated from average

ticket price

New York
$1,080,894,119 2011
The League of American Theatres and Producers

Figure only concerns Broadway

productions

Paris
$111,855,104
2009
ASTP/SACD/Ministre de la Culture et de la

communication (DEPS)

Figure only concerns private theatres

Seoul

$54,000,000

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Shanghai

$32,000,000

2010

OSCS2011/STA

Singapore
$62,875,467
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Attendance at Arts and Cultural Events

Stockholm

City of Stockholm

$68,816,244

2012

Sydney
$22,050,197
2008

Australian Bureau of Statistics & Live Performance

Australia

Tokyo

2009 Pia Research Institute/NLI Research Institute

$777,637,196

2008

Toronto
$219,000,000 2008
Hill Strategies Research

212

Amsterdam
$22.51
2012
Dutch Association of Theatres and Concert Halls

Hong Kong

$11.43

Notes

Estimate

Deutscher Buhnenverein Bundesverband

der Theater und Orchester

Johannesburg $1.21

2011 VANSA

London

$105.78

2012/13 SOLT

Los Angeles

$6.29

2010

Cultural Data Project/LACAC

Madrid

$38.13

2013

BOP

Estimate

Estimated based on admissions

Montral
$8.77
2012
Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ)
Unified interdepartmental information
and statistical system

Mumbai
$3.31
2011
Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Figure estimated from average

ticket price

New York
$132
2011
The League of American Theatres and Producers

Figure only concerns Broadway

productions

Paris
$34.58
2009

ASTP/SACD/Ministre de la Culture
et de la communication (DEPS)

Figure only concerns private theatres

Seoul

$5.44

2012

Korea Arts Management Service

Shanghai

$1.36

2010

OSCS2011/STA

Singapore
$11.50
2012

Singapore Cultural Statistics 2013

Attendance at Arts and Cultural Events

Stockholm

City of Stockholm

$31,81

2012

Sydney
$4.82
2008
Australian Bureau of Statistics & Live Performance

Australia
Figure estimated from average
ticket price

Figure only concerns members

of the Dutch Association of Theatres

2011/12 LCSD /AAS 2011/12

Moscow
$18.51
2013

Montral
$13,487,610
2012
Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ)
Moscow
$224,160,000
2013

Date Source

Berlin
$13.78
2009

Deutscher Buhnenverein Bundesverband der

Theater und Orchester

London

Figure

Total value of ticket sales at all theatres per capita per year $m (ppp)

Total value of theatre ticket sales at all theatres per year $m (ppp)
Amsterdam
$52,901,730
2012
Dutch Association of Theatres and Concert Halls

City

Tokyo

$60.30

2008

Estimate

Figure estimated from average

ticket price

2009 Pia Research Institute/NLI Research Institute

Toronto
$83.74
2008
Hill Strategies Research

Figure for total consumer spending

on live performing arts

Figure for total consumer spending

on live performing arts

213

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of cinema admissions per capita per year

No. of cinema admissions per year

Amsterdam

3.1

2012

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

Berlin

2.6

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

17,569,846

2012

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

Bogot

2.3

2012

Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia SIREC

11,037,730

2012

SINCA

Buenos Aires

3.8

2012

SINCA

Amsterdam

7,195,000

2012

Berlin

9,126,793

Bogot
Buenos Aires

Dutch Exhibitors Association

Dutch Exhibitors Association

Istanbul
10,272,528
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Istanbul
0.8
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Johannesburg

13,079,824

2007

National Film and Video Foundation

Johannesburg

1.3

2007

National Film and Video Foundation

London

41,571,000

2011

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

London

5.3

2011

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes
Audiovisuales (ICAA))

Madrid
2.5
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))

Madrid
7,933,307
2013

Notes

Montral
6,424,300
2012
Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ)

Montral
3.4
2012

Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ) de l'Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Moscow

11,979,500

2013

Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system

Moscow

2013

Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system

Mumbai

10,974,667

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai

0.9

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Paris

58,246,000

2010

CNC

Paris

4.9

2010 CNC

Rio de Janeiro

15,642,939

2012

Filme B

Rio de Janeiro

2.5

2012

Filme B

So Paulo

50,000,000

2011

Organizao Filme B

So Paulo

4.4

2011

Organizao Filme B

Seoul

60,087,208

2013

Korean Film Council

Seoul

5.9

2013

Korean Film Council

Shanghai

22,878,000

2010

SCY2011

Shanghai

2010 SCY2011

Estimate

Singapore
24,578,200
2013

Media Development Authority,

Singapore Film Commission

Singapore
4.5
2013

Media Development Authority,

Singapore Film Commission

Stockholm

The Swedish Film Institute

Stockholm

The Swedish Film Institute

5,295,000

2013

Sydney
22,044,910
2010
Screen Australia/BOP Consulting


Tokyo
29,255,665
2010

2013

Sydney
4.8
2010
Screen Australia/BOP Consulting


Tokyo
2.2
2010

Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Toronto
12,602,231
2010
Statistics Canada

214

Figure estimated from Sydney

cinema attendance rate and
Sydney cinema attendance frequency

2.5

Figure estimated from regional

attendance figures and only concerns
paid cinema admissions

Figure estimated from Sydney

cinema attendance rate and
Sydney cinema attendance frequency

Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Toronto
4.8
2010
Statistics Canada

Figure estimated from regional

attendance figures and only concerns
paid cinema admissions

215

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Amsterdam
208,169
2012
City of Amsterdam

International Documentary
Film Festival Amsterdam

Berlin

Berlinale Official Website

Berlin Film Festival

Direccin de Cinematografa
Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia

Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes

y Escuelas de Cine El Espejo

2011

Bogot
6,000
2012

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Total value of cinema ticket sales per year $ (ppp)

No. of admissions at main film festival

484,860

City
Amsterdam

$76,864,250

2012

Dutch Exhibitors Association

Berlin

$80,784,465

2011

Filmfrderungsanstalt

Bogot
$114,712,053
2012

Direccin de Cinematografa
Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia
SINCA

Buenos Aires

$53,846,548

2012

Buenos Aires
370,000
2013
Direcion de Festivales de la Ciudad

Buenos Aires International Independent

Film Festival

Hong Kong

$262,291,127

2011/12 HKMPIA

Hong Kong
91,000
2011/12 Hong Kong International Film Festival
(HKIFF) Annual Report 2010/11

Hong Kong International Film Festival

Istanbul
$75,685,429
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report

Istanbul

150,000

2010

Cultural Economy Compendium Istanbul 2010

Istanbul Film Festival

Johannesburg

7,500

2011

VANSA

Tricontinental Film Festival

London

132,000

2010

BFI

BFI London Film Festival

Los Angeles

75,000

2012

American Film Institute

American Film Institute's AFI FEST

Madrid
$84,530,598
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))

Festival du Nouveau cinma

de Montral

Montral
$43,756,308
2012

Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ) de l'Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Mumbai

$81,200,553

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Montral
125,000
2012
Ville de Montral

Johannesburg

$102,724,956

2011

PricewaterhouseCoopers

London

$363,300,448

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Moscow

75,000

2014

RIA news

Mumbai

100,000

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Mumbai Film Festival

Paris

$416,083,793

2010

CNC

New York

410,000

2010

2011 Tribeca Film Festival Fact Sheet

Tribeca Film Festival

Rio de Janeiro

$99,274,882

2012

Filme B

Paris
151,800
2011
Rgion Ile-de-France

Festival Cinma en plein air

au Parc de la Villette

So Paulo

$281,214,848

2011

Organizao Filme B

Rio de Janeiro

280,000

2012

Festival do Rio

Festival do Rio

Seoul
$531,797,732
2013

Media Development Authority,

Singapore Film Commission

So Paulo

250,000

2011

SP Cinema Festival

Sao Paulo International Film Festival

Shanghai

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Seoul
17,772
2013
IWFFIS

International Women's Film Festival

in Seoul

Singapore
$228,418,086 2013

Media Development Authority,

Singapore Film Commission

Shanghai

260,000

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Shanghai International Film Festival

Stockholm

$61,819,925

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Stockholm

136,000

2012

Stockholm International Film Festival

Sydney

$156,918,900

2011

Screen Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics

Sydney

110,000

2011

If

Sydney Film Festival

Tokyo

121,010

2010

TIFFCOM 2010 Market Report

Tokyo International Film Festival

Toronto

400,000

2011

TIFF

Toronto International Film Festival

$238,196,000

2010

Figure estimated from regional figure

Tokyo
$351,024,091 2010
Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/NLI

Research Institute
Toronto
$87,700,708
2010
Statistics Canada

216

Figure estimated from national figure

Figure estimated from regional

admission receipts

217

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Total value of cinema ticket sales per capita per year $ (ppp)

Estimated attendance at main carnival/festival

Amsterdam

$33

2012

Amsterdam

700,000

2012

City of Amsterdam

Queensday

Berlin

$23

2011 Filmfrderungsanstalt

Berlin

1,360,000

2011

Karneval der Kulturen Official Website

Karneval der Kulturen

Bogot

3,497,132

2013

Instituto Distrital de Recreaacin y Deporte

Festival de Verano de Bogot

Buenos Aires

600,000

2013

Direccin de Festivales de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Festival de Tango

Johannesburg

67,829

2011

COJ Report: November 2011

Arts Alive

London

1,500,000

2011

Metropolitan Police

Notting Hill Carnival

Los Angeles

1,473,371

2012

LA County Fair

LA County Fair

Madrid

1,200,000

2013

CTV

Gay Pride Festival

Montral

2,000,000

2012

Ville de Montral

Montral International Jazz Festival

Moscow

90,000

2013

Department of culture

Mumbai

2,000,000

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Ganesha Utsav

New York

2,500,000

2010

Macys

Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade

Paris

1,500,000

2010

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France

Nuit Blanche

Rio de Janeiro

12,000,000

2013

Guia do Rio

Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro

So Paulo

4,000,000

2012

SP Turis

Carnaval

Seoul

1,104,775

2013

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Hi Seoul Festival

2010

SCY2011

Shanghai International Arts Festival

Dutch Exhibitors Association

Bogot
$15
2012

Direccin de Cinematografa
Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia

Buenos Aires

$19

2012

SINCA

Hong Kong

$37

2011/12 HKMPIA

Istanbul
$6
2009
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Film

Industry Report
Johannesburg

$9

2011

PricewaterhouseCoopers

London

$46

2010

BFI Statistical Yearbook 2011

Figure estimated from national figure

Madrid
$27
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Ministerio de Cultura.

Instituto de la Cinematografa y de las Artes

Audiovisuales (ICAA))
Montral
$23
2012

Observatoire de la culture et des communications

(OCCQ) de l'Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Moscow
$93
2013

Unified interdepartmental information

and statistical system

Mumbai

$3.46

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Paris

$6

2010 CNC

Shanghai

3,060,000

Rio de Janeiro

$16

2012

Filme B

Stockholm

550,000

The Stockholm City Culture Administration

So Paulo

$25

2011

Organizao Filme B

Sydney

653,000

2011

Sydney Festival Annual Review 2011

Sydney Festival

Seoul

$52

2013

Korean Film Council

Tokyo

1,270,000

2010

Taito City

Sanja Matsuri

Shanghai

$10

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Toronto

1,300,000

2010

City of Toronto

Canada National Exhibition

Singapore
$42
2013

Media Development Authority

Singapore Film Commission

Stockholm

$28

2013

The Swedish Film Institute

Sydney

$34

2011

Screen Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics

Figure estimated from regional figure

Tokyo
$27
2010
Industrial Statistics Office, Research and Statistics

Department, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau,

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/ NLI

Research Institute
Toronto
$34
2010
Statistics Canada

218

Figure estimated from regional

admission receipts

219

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of international tourists per year

Estimated attendance at main carnival/festival as % of city population

Amsterdam

88%

2012

City of Amsterdam

Queensday

Amsterdam

5,506,722

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Berlin

40%

2011

Karneval der Kulturen Official Website

Karneval der Kulturen

Berlin

2,871,000

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Bogot

46%

2012

Instituto Distrital de Recreaacin y Deporte

Festival de Verano de Bogot

Bogot

966,748

2012

Observatorio turstico de Bogot/IDT

Buenos Aires

21%

2013

Direccin de Festivales de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Festival de Tango

Buenos Aires

2,843,658

2012

ETI CABA

Johannesburg

0.6%

2011

COJ Report: November 2011

Arts Alive

London

19%

2011

Metropolitan Police

Notting Hill Carnival

Hong Kong
48,615,113
2012
Hong Kong Tourism Board

Los Angeles

15%

2012

LA County Fair

LA County Fair

Madrid

38%

2013

CTV

Gay Pride Festival

Montral

106%

2012

Ville de Montral

Montral International Jazz Festival

Moscow

0.74%

2013

Department of culture

Mumbai

16%

2011

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Ganesha Utsav

New York

30%

2010

Macys

Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade

Paris

13%

2010

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France

Nuit Blanche

Rio de Janeiro

190%

2013

Guia do Rio

Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro

So Paulo

36%

2012

SP Turis

Carnaval

Seoul

11%

2013

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Hi Seoul Festival

Shanghai

13%

2010

SCY2011

Shanghai International Arts Festival

Stockholm

25%

The Stockholm City Culture Administration

Sydney

14%

2011

Sydney Festival Annual Review 2011

Sydney Festival

Tokyo

9.65%

2010

Taito City

Sanja Matsuri

Toronto

50%

2011

City of Toronto

Canada National Exhibition

Istanbul

8,057,879

2011

Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Johannesburg

3,988,335

2010

Gauteng Tourism Authority

London

16,800,000

2013

Office for National Statistics

Los Angeles

6,100,000

2012

Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board

Figure refers to all overnight and

same-day visitor arrivials including
tourists from the Mainland China

Madrid
3,688,258
2013
Ayuntamiento de Madrid/Instituto

Nacional de Estadstica: Encuesta de

Ocupacin Hotelera
Montral
1,770,939
2010
Office des congrs et du tourisme du grand Montral

(OCTGM)
Los Angeles

6,100,000

2012

Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board

Montral
1,770,939
2010
Office des congrs et du tourisme du grand Montral

(OCTGM)
Moscow

5,200,000

2012

The Moscow City Government Website

Mumbai
2,195,000
2010
Euromonitor Internationals top city destinations

ranking (2012)
New York

8,380,000

2011

NYC & Co.

Paris

15,500,000

2013

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France

Rio de Janeiro

1,400,000

2012

Global Destination Cities Index

So Paulo

1,600,000

2011

SPTuris

Seoul
9,850,020
2013

Korea Tourism Organization/Korea Culture

and Tourism Institute

Shanghai

8,511,200

2010 SCY2011

Singapore

15,567,900

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm
2,000,000
2013
Stockholm Visitors Board


Sydney

220

Notes

2,610,000

2010

Destination NSW

Tokyo
5,940,000
2010

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

Industrial and Labor Affairs

Toronto

See Toronto

1,360,600

2011

Figure estimated base on the total

number of sleepovers for foreign
tourists and day cruise passangers

221

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

No. of international tourists per year as % of city population

Amsterdam

234%

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Berlin

83%

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Bogot
13%
2012

Clculo Secretara Distrital de Cultura,

Recreacin y Deporte con base en datos
del Observatorio Turstico de Bogot,
Instituto Distrital de Turismo

Buenos Aires

ETI CABA

98%

2012

Hong Kong
679%
2012
Hong Kong Tourism Board

World cities contextual data

City

Figure

Date Source

Geographical area size, sq. km

Figure counts Mainland China visitors

as international tourists

Amsterdam

2,580

2013

Statistics Netherlands

Netherlands

41,540

2013

Statistics Netherlands

Berlin

892

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Germany

357,124

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Bogot
345
2013

Alcalda Mayor de Bogot,

Secretara Distrital de Planeacin

Istanbul

59%

2011

Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Johannesburg

35%

2010

Gauteng Tourism Authority

Colombia
1,141,750
2013

Organizacin de las Naciones Unidas

para la Agricultura y la Alimentacin

London

200%

2013

Office for National Statistics

Buenos Aires

200

2013

INDEC

Los Angeles

61%

2012

LA Tourism & Convention Board/Census data

Argentina

3,761,274

2013 INDEC

Ayuntamiento de Madrid/Instituto Nacional

de Estadstica: Encuesta de Ocupacin Hotelera

Hong Kong

1,104

2012

Survey and Mapping Office/Lands Department

Istanbul

5,313

2010

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Turkey

785,347

2010

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Johannesburg

18,178

2012

VANSA

South Africa

1,221,037

2012

VANSA

London

1,572

2011

Office for National Statistics

Madrid
116%
2013

Montral
94%
2010
Office des congrs et du tourisme du grand

Montral (OCTGM)
Moscow

43%

2012

The Moscow City Government Website

Mumbai
18%
2010
Euromonitor Internationals top city destinations

ranking (2012)
New York

103%

2011

NYC & Co.

United Kingdom 242,560

2011

Office for National Statistics

Paris

130%

2013

CRT Paris-Ile-de-France

Los Angeles

10,510

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Rio de Janeiro

22%

2012

Global Destination Cities Index

United States

9,147,593

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

So Paulo

14%

2011

SPTuris

Madrid

604

2014

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Korea Tourism Organization/

Korea Culture and Tourism Institute

Spain

505,600

2013

World Bank

Seoul
97%
2013

Shanghai

36%

2010 SCY2011

Montral
624
2013

Ville de Montral,
Direction des grands parcs et du verdissement

Singapore

285%

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Canada

8,965,121

2011

2011 Census

Stockholm

92%

2013

Stockholm Visitors Board

Moscow

2,511

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Sydney

57%

2010

Destination NSW

Russia

17,125,187

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Tokyo
45%
2010

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of

Industrial and Labor Affairs

Mumbai

437.1

2012

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Diary 2012

India

3,287,263

2011

Government of India

Toronto

See Toronto

New York

1,214.40

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

United States

9,147,593

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

52%

222

2011

Notes

But this Is not the right figure

223

City

Figure

Date Source

Geographical area size, sq. km

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Total population number

Paris

12,012

2012

IAU Ile-de-France

Amsterdam

2,349,870

2013

Statistics Netherlands

France

543,965

2012

IAU Ile-de-France

Netherlands

16,779,575

2013

Statistics Netherlands

Rio de Janeiro

1,200

2010

Censo

Berlin

3,460,725

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Brazil

8,514,877

2012 Censo

Germany

81,752,000

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Seoul

605.2

2013

Statistics Korea

Bogot

7,674,366

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Korea

100,266.25

2013

Statistics Korea

Colombia

47,120,770

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

So Paulo

1,500

2011

Censo

Buenos Aires

2,890,151

2010

INDEC

Brazil

8,514,877

2012 Censo

Argentina

40,117,096 2010 INDEC

Shanghai

6340.5

2010

Shanghai Yearbook 2011

Hong Kong

7,154,600

2012

Hong Kong Year Book 2012

China

9,600,000

2010

National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS)

Istanbul

13,624,240

2011

Turkish Statistical Institute

Singapore

718.3

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Turkey

74,724,269

2011

Turkish Statistical Institute

Stockholm

6,526

2013

Statistics Sweden

Johannesburg

11,328,203

2011

StatSA Mid Year Population Estimates 2011

Sweden

528,447

2013

Statistics Sweden

South Africa

50,586,757

2011

StatSA Mid Year Population Estimates 2011

Sydney

12,144.50

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

London

7,825,200

2010

Office for National Statistics

Australia

7,617,930

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

United Kingdom 62,262,000

2010

Office for National Statistics

Tokyo

2,130

2012

Japan Statistical Yearbook 2012

Los Angeles

9,818,605

2010

US Census Bureau

Japan
377,950
2012

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC)

United States

308,747,508

2010

US Census Bureau

Madrid

3,166,130

2014

Mayor of Madrid (Ayuntamiento de Madrid)

Toronto

630

2011

2011 Census

Canada

8,965,121

2011

2011 Census

224

Notes

Spain
46,725,164
2014

Institute for Statistics of the Community of

Madrid (Instituto de Estadisdica,
Comunidad de Madrid)

Montral

1,886,481

2011

Statistique Canada, Recensement 2011 de la population

Canada

33,476,688

2011

2011 Canada Census

Moscow

12,108,275

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Russia

143,666,931

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Mumbai

12,432,830

2011

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Diary 2012

India

1,210,193,422

2011

Census 2011

New York

8,175,133

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

United States

308,745,538

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Paris

11,797,021

2010

Insee

France

62,791,013

2010

Insee

Rio de Janeiro

6,320,446

2011

Censo

Brazil

198,000,000 2012 Censo

225

City

Figure

Date Source

Total population number

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

% of total national country population living in the city

So Paulo

11,253,503

2011

Censo

Amsterdam

14%

2013

Statistics Netherlands

Brazil

198,000,000

2012

Censo

Berlin

4.23%

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Seoul

10,143,645

2013

Statistics Korea

Korea

51,141,463

2013

Statistics Korea

Bogot
16.3%
2013

Clculos Secretara de Cultura,

Recreacin y Deporte con base en datos
del Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Shanghai

23,474,600

2011

SMSB

Buenos Aires

7.20%

2010

INDEC

China

1,339,724,852

2010

NBS

Hong Kong

N/A

Singapore

5,469,724

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Istanbul

18.23%

2011

Turkish Statistical Institute

Stockholm

2,163,042

2013

Statistics Sweden

Johannesburg

22.4%

2011

StatSA Mid Year Population Estimates 2011

Sweden

9,644,864

2013

Statistics Sweden

London

12.65%

2010

Office for National Statistics

Sydney

4,575,532

2010

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Los Angeles

3.18%

2010

US Census Bureau

Australia

22,342,000

2010

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo

13,159,388

2010

Japan Statistical Yearbook 2012

Madrid
6.78%
2014

Mayor of Madrid (Ayuntamiento de Madrid);

Institute for Statistics of the Community of Madrid
(Instituto de Estadisdica, Comunidad de Madrid)

Montral

5.6%

2011

Statistique Canada, Recensement 2011 de la population

Japan
128,057,352
2010

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC)

Toronto

2,615,060

2011

2011 Canada Census

Moscow

8.43%

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Canada

33,476,688

2011

2011 Canada Census

Mumbai

1.03%

2011

Based on Census of India 2011 data

New York

2.65%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Paris

18.8%

2010

Insee, estimations de population

Rio de Janeiro

3.2%

2011

Censo

So Paulo

5.68%

2011

Censo

Seoul

19.83%

2013

Statistics Korea

Shanghai

1.75%

2010 NBS

Singapore

100%

2011

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm

22.43%

2013

Statistics Sweden

Sydney

20.48%

2010

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo

10.28%

2010

Japan Statistical Yearbook 2012

Toronto

7.8%

2011

2011 Canada Census

226

Notes

227

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Working age population

Working age population

Amsterdam

1,094,000

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Seoul

7,077,390

2013

Statistics Korea

Netherlands

7,392,000

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Korea

34,036,828

2013

Statistics Korea

Berlin

2,297,921

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Shanghai

17,563,800

2010

SMSB

Germany

51,418,800

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

China

939,683,011

2010

NBS

Bogot

4,676,920

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Singapore

2,583,846

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Colombia

26,470,702

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Stockholm

1,072,974

2013

Statistics Sweden

Buenos Aires

1,728,382

2010

INDEC

Sweden

4,576,947

2013

Statistics Sweden

Argentina

18,631,592

2011

Banco Mundial

Sydney

3,157,117

2010

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Hong Kong

4,942,000

2012

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics 2013

Australia

15,080,850

2010

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Istanbul

10,420,392

2011

Turkish Statistical Institute

Tokyo

8,739,000

2010

Japan Statistical Yearbook 2012

Turkey

55,837,694

2011

Turkish Statistical Institute

Johannesburg

6,833,217

2011

StatSA Mid Year Population Estimates 2011

Japan
80,731,000
2010

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC)

South Africa

27,060,086

2011

StatSA Mid Year Population Estimates 2011

Toronto

1,686,700

2011

2011 Census

London

3,851,000

2010

Office for National Statistics

Canada

20,746,150

2011

2011 Census

United Kingdom 29,279,000

2011

Office for National Statistics

Los Angeles

6,040,948

2010

US Census Bureau

United States

185,209,998

2010

US Census Bureau

Madrid

1,936,251

2014

Padron Municipal de Habitantes, Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Spain

28,739,814

2013

Instituto Nacional de Estadisdica

Montral

1,199,000

2011

Statistique Canada, Recensement 2011 de la population

Canada

20,746,150

2011

Census

Moscow

7,966,676

2010

Federal State Statistics Servise

Russia

94,862,000

2014

Federal State Statistics Servise

Mumbai

8,643,303

2001

Census of India

India

721,396,299

2001

Census of India

New York

5,420,114

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

United States

185,209,998

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Paris

7,250,499

2010 Insee

France

36,861,457

2010

Insee

Rio de Janeiro

3,968,209

2011

Censo

Brazil

113,256,000 2012 Censo

So Paulo

6,720,000

2011

Censo

Brazil

113,256,000

2012

Censo

228

Notes

229

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

No. of households

No. of households
Amsterdam

1,113,185

2012

Statistics Netherlands

So Paulo

3,928,331

2011

Censo

Netherlands

7,512,824

2012

Statistics Netherlands

Brazil

59,500,000

2011

Censo

Berlin

1,988,500

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Seoul

3,577,497

2010

Statistics Korea

Germany

40,301,000

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Korea

17,574,067

2010

Statistics Korea

Bogot

2,385,391

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Shanghai

8,251,200

2010 SMSB

Colombia

13,020,867

2013

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

China

401,520,000

2010

NBS

Buenos Aires

1,425,840

2010

INDEC

Singapore

1,174,500

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Argentina

13,835,751 2010 INDEC

Stockholm

897,727

2013

Statistiical yearbook of Stockholm 2014

Hong Kong

2,389,000

2012

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics 2013

Sweden

4,209,502

2013

Statistics Sweden

Istanbul

2,550,607

2000

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Sydney

1,423,521

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Turkey

15,070,093

2000

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Australia

7,144,096

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Johannesburg

3,175,579

2007

Statssa: Community Survey 2007

Tokyo

6,327,000

2010

Japan Statistical Yearbook 2012

South Africa

12,500,609

2007

Statssa: Community Survey 2007

London

3,109,657

2001

Census of Population 2001, Office for National Statistics

Japan
50,928,100
2010

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC)

United Kingdom 26,258,000

2011

Office for National Statistics

Toronto

1,047,875

2011

2011 Census

Los Angeles

3,241,204

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Canada

13,320,615

2011

2011 Census

United States

114,235,996

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Foreign born population %

Madrid

1,239,443

2013

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Amsterdam

33%

2012

Statistics Netherlands

Spain

18,217,300

2013

Instituto Nacional de Estadisdica

Netherlands

21%

2012

Statistics Netherlands

Montral

849,440

2011

Statistique Canada, Recensement 2011 de la population

Berlin

13.23%

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Canada

13,320,615

2011

2011 Census

Germany

8.26%

2010

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Moscow

4,416,087

2010

National Census

Bogot

0.26%

2005

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Russia

54,560,627

2010

National Census

Colombia

0.45%

2005

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Mumbai

2,515,589

2011

Census of India

Buenos Aires

13%

2010

INDEC

India

192,671,808

2001

Census of India

Argentina

4.5%

2010 INDEC

New York

3,047,249

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Turkey

1.9%

2010 UN

United States

114,235,996

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Johannesburg

5.7%

2007

Statssa: Community Survey 2007

Paris

4,897,435

2008

Insee recensement de la population 2008

South Africa

2.7%

2007

Statssa: Community Survey 2007

France

26,614,970

2008

Insee recensement de la population 2008

London

30.8%

2010

Migration Observatory

Rio de Janeiro

2,408,891

2011

Censo

United Kingdom 12%

2010

Migration Observatory

Brazil

59,500,000 2011 Censo

Los Angeles

35.6%

2010

US Census Bureau

United States

12.7%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

230

Notes

231

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Education level % with degree level or higher

Foreign born population %

Madrid

20.47%

2013

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Amsterdam

42%

2011

Statistics Netherlands/TNO

Spain

13.22%

2013

Instituto Nacional de Estadisdica

Netherlands

35%

2011

Statistics Netherlands/TNO

Montral
33.2%
2011

Statistique Canada, ENM 2011

(Enqute Nationale auprs des Mnages)

Berlin

39%

2010

Bildung in Berlin und Brandenburg 2010

Germany

28.4%

2010

Bildung in Berlin und Brandenburg 2010

Canada

21%

2011

2011 National Household Survey

Bogot

20.54%

2005

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Moscow

13.00%

2010

National Census

Colombia

11.14%

2005

Departamento Nacional de Estadstica

Russia

20.00%

2010

National Census

Hong Kong

27.7%

2011

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics

Mumbai

1.4%

2001

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Istanbul

9.23%

2010

Turkish Statistical Institute

Turkey

11.8%

2010

Turkish Statistical Institute

Johannesburg

32%

2010

State of the Cities Report 2011

South Africa

24%

2010

State of the Cities Report 2011

London

41.9%

2010

Office for National Statistics

United Kingdom 31.2%

2010

Office for National Statistics

Los Angeles

29.2%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

United States

27.9%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Madrid

31.93%

2014

Ayuntamiento de Madrid/Padron municipal

India
0.52%
2005

UNESCAP Statistical Yearbook for Asia

and the Pacific 2009

New York

36.8%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

United States

12.7%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Paris

12.4%

2008 Insee

France

5.8%

2008 Insee

Rio de Janeiro

1%

2011

Brazil

0.3%

2011 Censo

So Paulo

1%

2011

Brazil

0.3%

2011 Censo

Seoul

4.1%

2013

Statistics Korea

Korea

3.1%

2013

Statistics Korea

Montral
35.17%
2011

Statistique Canada, ENM 2011

(Enqute Nationale auprs des Mnages)

Shanghai

0.89%

2010

NBS/STA

Canada

25.26%

2011

2011 National Household Survey

China

0.08%

2010

NBS/STA

Moscow

43.00%

2010

National Census

Singapore

29.23%

2014

Department of Statistics Singapore

Russia

23.00%

2010

National Census

Stockholm

30.09%

2013

Statistics Sweden

India

3.7%

2001

Census of India

Sweden

20.75%

2013

Statistics Sweden

New York

33.3%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Sydney

34.4%

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

United States

27.9%

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Australia

23.8%

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Paris

35.84%

2008 Insee

Tokyo

2.42%

2010

2010 Population Census of Japan

France

28.57%

2008 Insee

Japan
1.29%
2010

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
(MIAC)/NLI Research Institute

Rio de Janeiro

14.5%

2011

Brazil

12%

2009 OECD

Toronto

49%

2011

2011 National Household Survey

So Paulo

19%

2011

Canada

21%

2011

2011 National Household Survey

Brazil

12%

2009 OECD

232

Censo
Censo

Spain
32.00%
2011
Ministry for Education, Culture ans Sports

(Spanish Government)

Censo
Censo

233

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Education level % with degree level or higher

Average income per capita per year (ppp)

Seoul

36.60%

2010

Statistics Korea

Montral

$33,283

2011

Institut de la statistique du Qubec

Korea

28.1%

2010

Statistics Korea

Canada

$38,394

2011

Statistics Canada

Shanghai

42.92%

2010 SMSB

Moscow

$18,504

2013

Federal State Statistics Service

China

14.03%

2010 NBS

Russia

$8,791

2013

Federal State Statistics Service

Singapore

27.30%

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Mumbai

$6,839

2010

Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2010/2011

Stockholm

47.00%

2013

Public Health Agency of Sweden

India

$2,416

2010

Minsitry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

Sweden

38.00%

2013

Public Health Agency of Sweden

New York

$30,498

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Sydney

34.96%

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

United States

$27,334

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Australia

33.7%

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Paris

$26,497

2008 Insee

Tokyo

25.5%

2010

Population Census of Japan

France

$22,154

2008 Insee

Japan
17.64%
2010

Japan Statistical Research and Training Institute,

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
(MIAC)/NLI Research Institute

Rio de Janeiro

$16,971

2011

Brazil

$9,212

2011 Censo

Toronto

38.15%

2011

2011 National Household Survey

So Paulo

$17,708

2011

Canada

25.26%

2011

2011 National Household Survey.

Brazil

$9,212

2011 Censo

Seoul

$20,940

2012

Statistics Korea

Korea

$17,693

2012

Statistics Korea

Shanghai

$5,472

2011

Xinhua Net

China

$3,294

2011 CINIC

Singapore

$76,846

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm

$34,534

2013

Statistics Sweden

Sweden

$29,247

2013

Statistics Sweden

Sydney

$33,285

2009

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australia

$29,643

2009

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo

$55,766

2011

Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2011

Average income per capita per year (ppp)

Amsterdam

$18,674

2009

Statistics Netherlands/RIO

Netherlands

$17,492

2009

Statistics Netherlands/RIO

Berlin

$14,544

2009

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Germany

$18,681

2009

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Istanbul

$10,576

2007

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Turkey

$7,433

2007

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Johannesburg

$11,591

2009

State of the Cities Report 2011

South Africa

$7,165

2009

State of the Cities Report 2011

Censo
Censo

London
$45,094
2010

Greater London Authority Income and Spending

at Home Report

United Kingdom $38,715

2010

Office for National Statistics

Japan
$44,085
2011
Wages and Labour Welfare Statistics Division,

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/
NLI Research Institute

Los Angeles

$27,915

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Toronto

$36,289

2010

Statistics Canada

United States

$27,334

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Canada

$38,394

2011

Statistics Canada

Madrid
$30,208
2010

Spain

$21,252

234

Notes

Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Direccin

General de Estadstica

2011 INE

235

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Median gross weekly earnings (ppp)

Median gross weekly earnings (ppp)

Amsterdam

$882

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Tokyo

Netherlands

$809

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Bogot

$170

2012

Japan
$846
2011

Wages and Labour Welfare Statistics Division,

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/
NLI Research Institute

Hong Kong

$497

2012

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics 2013

Toronto

$429

2010

Statistics Canada

Istanbul

$108

2007

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Canada

$470

2011

Statistics Canada

Turkey

$159

2007

Turkeys 2010 Statistical Yearbook

Johannesburg
$184
2010

StatSA: Monthly Earnings of South Africans, 2010

(Labour Force Survey)

South Africa
$140
2010

StatSA: Monthly Earnings of South Africans, 2010

(Labour Force Survey)

London
$960
2010

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings,

Office for National Statistics

United Kingdom $745

2010

Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings,

Office for National Statistics

Montral

$384

2010

Canada

$470

Moscow

$1,070

2011

Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2011

GDP (ppp) (million)

Amsterdam

$103,511

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Netherlands

$625,550

2011

Statistics Netherlands

Berlin

$80,000

2010

Amt fr Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg

Germany

$3,280,500

2010

World Bank

Bogot

$82,175

2012

Banco de la Repblica de Colombia

Colombia

$369,515

2012

Banco de la Repblica de Colombia

Statistics Canada

Buenos Aires

$191,700

2008

PricewaterhouseCoopers

2011

Statistics Canada

Argentina

$474,865

2011

World Bank

$387

2014

City of Moscow

Hong Kong

$366,838

2012

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics 2013

Russia

$180

2014

City of Moscow

Istanbul

$182,000

2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers

New York

$967

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Turkey

$678,913

2010

United States

$998

2010

U.S. Census Bureau

Paris

$513

2009 Insee

Johannesburg
$175,956
2011

StatSA report: P0441 Gross Domestic Product (GDP),

3rd Quarter 2011

France

$446

2009 Insee

South Africa
$521,748
2011

StatSA report: P0441 Gross Domestic Product (GDP),

3rd Quarter 2011

Rio de Janeiro

$134

2011

Brazil

$93

2011 Censo

So Paulo

$136

2011

Censo

Brazil

$93

2011

Censo

Shanghai

$105

2011

Xinhua net/STA

China

$63

2011

CINIC/STA

Censo

London

$565,000

United Kingdom $3,357,399

World Bank

2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers
2010

World Bank

Los Angeles
$747,306
2011
US Bureau of Economic Analysis


United States

$13,445,266

2011

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

Madrid

$175,504

2011

Ayuntamiento de Madrid

Spain

$1,473,471 2012 INE

Figure is for Los Angeles-Long

Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metropolitan
Statistical Area

Singapore
$838
2013

Ministry of Manpower Singapore

Comprehensive Labour Force Survey

Stockholm

630.81

2013

Statistics Sweden

Montral

$88,493

2011

Institut de la statistique du Qubec et Statistique Canada

Sweden

745.51

2013

Statistics Sweden

Canada

$1,491,776

2012

Statistics Canada

Sydney

$962

2008

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Moscow

$382,700

2013

Federal State Statistics Servise

Australia

$657

2011

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Russia

$3,461,000

2013

World Bank

236

237

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Creative industries employment

GDP (ppp) (million)

Mumbai

$209,000

2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers

Amsterdam

8.3%

2012

LISA/Statistics Netherlands

India

$3,197,826

2010

World Bank

Netherlands

7.5%

2012

LISA/Statistics Netherlands

New York

$1,406,000

2008

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Berlin

10%

2006

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

United States

$13,445,266

2011

US Bureau of Economic Analysis

Germany

2.3%

2006

Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland

Paris

$605,985

2009 Insee

Buenos Aires

9.3%

2011

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

France

$2,054,371

2009

Insee

Argentina

4.62%

2007

Observatorio de Industrias Creativas

Rio de Janeiro

$194,900

2011

IBGE

Brazil

$2,284,000

2011

World Bank

Hong Kong
5.50%
2012

Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics

(April 2014 edition)

So Paulo

$370,000

2011

Prefeitura de Sao Paulo

Istanbul

3.69%

2008

Istanbul Cultural Economy

Brazil

$2,284,000

2011

World Bank

Johannesburg

4.5%

2008

Gauteng Creative Industries Mapping report

Seoul

$362,128

2012

Statistics Korea

London

12%

2007

GLA Londons Creative Sector

Korea

$1,590,746

2012

Statistics Korea

United Kingdom 5.1%

2011

DCMS

Shanghai

$289,899

2011 SMSB

China

$7,128,290

2011

Government Work Report of Year 2012

Singapore

$425,155

2013

Department of Statistics Singapore

Stockholm

$63,641

2010

Statistics Sweden

Sweden

$416,797

2013

Statistics Sweden

Sydney

$213,000

2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers

Australia

$924,843

2010

Tokyo

$743,826

2009

Los Angeles
5.4%
2012

Americans for the Arts, 2012 Creative Industries

100 Most Populated US Cities

United States
2.15%
2012

Americans for the Arts, 2012 Creative Industries

100 Most Populated US Cities

Madrid
9.00%
2012

Barometro Economico de la Ciudad de

Madrid 2013: La economia creativa en
la ciudad de Madrid, p. 127/128

World Bank

Spain
2.60%
2012

Spanish Ministry for Education,

Culture and Sports (MCU)

Annual Report on Prefectual Accounts

Montral

13.3%

2006

Statistique Canada

Japan
$4,218,873
2009

Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office,

Government of Japan

Canada

9.7%

2006

Statistics Canada

Mumbai

16.01%

2005

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Toronto

$124,098

2012

Toronto Government website

India

11.44%

2005

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Canada

$1,491,776

2012

Statistics Canada

238

New York
8%
2008

Americans for the Arts, Creative Industries 2008

The 50 City Report

United States
2.15%
2012

Americans for the Arts, 2012 Creative Industries

100 Most Populated US Cities

Paris

8.8%

2008

IAU Ile-de-France/Insee

France

3.93%

2008

IAU Ile-de-France/Insee

239

City

Figure

Date Source

Notes

Creative industries employment

Rio de Janeiro

2.75%

2012

SMC, Strategic Planning

Brazil

0.87%

2011

Sistema Firjan

So Paulo

2.46%

2011

Sistema Firjan

Brazil

0.87%

2011

Sistema Firjan

Seoul

9.4%

2011

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Korea

4.2%

2011

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Shanghai

7.38%

2010

Shanghai Economic Yearbook 2011

Singapore
1.80%
2013

Ministry of Manpower Singapore

Comprehensive Labour Force Survey

Stockholm

6.00%

2012 Mlardalsrdet

Sweden

3.00%

2012 Mlardalsrdet

Sydney

5.3%

2010

NSW Government

Australia

3.8%

2006

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Tokyo
11.2%
2006

Yoshimoto, M. (2009) Creative Industry Trends

The Creative-Industry Profiles of Japans OrdinanceDesignated Cities, NLI Research Report

Japan

4%

2006

NLI Research Institute

Toronto

9.7%

2006

Statistics Canada

Canada

7.1%

2007

The Conference Board of Canada

240

Appendix 2:
World Cities Culture
Forum Events 20122014

241

Paris
Carine Camors, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Odile Soulard, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France

2012

World Cities Culture Report

Shanghai Symposium

In April 2012 an inaugural symposium was held in

Shanghai. Organised by BOP Consulting and Shanghai
Theatre Academy, and hosted and sponsored by the
Shanghai Theatre Academy Metropolitan Cultural
Audit Centre, the Shanghai Symposium marked the
first opportunity for the partner cities to get together
to discuss the draft of the World Cities Culture Report
2012, and to exchange ideas about cultures role in
public policy.
The two-day Symposium was attended by
representatives of eight cities. Through a series of
keynote speeches, presentations and discussions they
explored issues of mutual interest, and agreed the first
steps to a programme of further research.
More information can be found about the Shanghai
Symposium on its associated website (Chinese only):
www.shcci.cn/node749718/whlt/index.html
We would like to thank the following for
participating and speaking at the Shanghai
Symposium:

Istanbul
Esma Firuze Kyk, Assistant Expert of Culture &
Tourism, Istanbul Office of the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism
Johannesburg
Joseph Gaylard, Director of Visual Arts Network
of South Africa, Johannesburg office
Khumbu Sithole, Senior Manager, Knowledge
Management, Gauteng Tourism Authority
London
Justine Simons, Head of Culture, Greater
London Authority
Adam Cooper, Senior Cultural Policy Officer,
Greater London Authority
John Howkins, Visiting Professor, Shanghai theatre
Academy & BOP Associate
Prof. Andy Pratt, Kings College London
Mumbai
Prof. Abdul Shaban, Centre for Development Studies,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
New York
Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, Department
of Cultural Affairs, New York City
Donna Keren, Senior Vice President, Research
and Analysis, NYC & Company
Danai Pointer, Director of External Affairs,
Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City

242

Shanghai
Wei Lou, Chairman of Shanghai Theatre Academy,
Director of School Committee
Jinhai Zhu, Deputy Director, The Development
Research Centre of Shanghai Municipal Peoples
Government
Ping Yu, Director of Culture and Technology
Department, Ministry of Culture, P.R. China
Prof. Changyong Huang, Vice President, Shanghai
Theatre Academy
Marina Guo, Shanghai Theatre Academy
Tokyo
Yusaku Imamura, Counselor on special issues to the
Governor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Chairman, Specialist Committe
for Cultural Policy, Tokyo Council for the Arts;
Director of Arts and Cultural Projects, NLI Research
Institute
Katsuhiko Funaki, Director of Cultural Policy, Bureau
of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan
Government
World Cities Culture Forum Management Team
Paul Owens, Managing Director, BOP Consulting;
Director, World Cities Culture Forum
Matthieu Prin, Project Manager, World Cities
Culture Forum
Richard Naylor, Director, Research, BOP Consulting

243

World Cities Culture Summit London 2012

The inaugural World Cities Culture Summit was held

in London on August 1, 2012, to mark the launch
of the World Cities Culture Report 2012. The report
was commissioned by the Mayor of London in
partnership with nine of the cities featured in it,
and was produced by BOP Consulting.
The event coincided with Londons hosting of
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and as the
city held an unprecedented citywide cultural festival.
The summit was held at London House (City Hall) as
part of an ambitious programme created by the Mayor
to maximise the huge opportunities for London arising
from the Games.
The summit brought together cultural leaders and
policymakers from nine of the cities involved in the
research in front of an invited audience to discuss the
reports findings and to share ideas and knowledge.
We would like to thank the following for
participating and speaking at the World Cities Culture
Summit London 2012:

Istanbul
Prof. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Director, Istanbul Provincial
Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Esma Firuze Kyk, Assistant Expert of Culture &
Tourism, Istanbul Office of the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism
London
Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum
Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor for Education and
Culture, Greater London Authority
Justine Simons, Head of Culture, Greater London
Authority
Adam Cooper, Senior Cultural Policy Officer,
Greater London Authority
Amanda Neal, Culture Team, Greater London
Authority
Los Angeles
Kamilla Blanche, Senior Deputy of Arts & Culture,
City of Los Angeles

Shanghai
Prof. Changyong Huang, Vice President, Shanghai
Theatre Academy
Marina Guo, Shanghai Theatre Academy
Sydney
Rachel Healy, Executive Manager Culture, City
of Sydney

World Cities Culture Forum Management Team

Paul Owens, Managing Director, BOP Consulting;
Director, World Cities Culture Forum
Matthieu Prin, Project Manager, World Cities Culture
Forum
Richard Naylor, Director, Research, BOP Consulting
Ulrike Chouguley, Senior Consultant, BOP Consulting

Tokyo
Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Director General, Bureau
of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan
Government
Yusaku Imamura, Counselor on special issues to
the Governor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Chairman, Specialist Committe
for Cultural Policy, Tokyo Council for the Arts; Director
of Arts and Cultural Projects, NLI Research Institute
Katsuhiko Funaki, Director of Cultural Policy, Bureau
of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan
Government
Yuko Ishiwata, Program Director, Arts Council Tokyo
Haruko Hoyle, Program Officer, Arts Council Tokyo

Mumbai
Prof. Abdul Shaban, Centre for Development
Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
New York
Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, Department of Cultural
Affairs, New York City
Danai Pointer, Director of External Affairs,
Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City
Paris
Carine Camors, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Odile Soulard, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
244

245

2013

World Cities: Strategy for Design and Creativity

(Shanghai Symposium 2013)

In September 2013, the World Cities Culture Forum

Shanghai Symposium 2013 World Cities: Strategy for
Design and Creativity took place as part of Shanghais
annual Design Week, which included a rich inter
national programme of exhibitions, demonstrations,
trade shows, workshops, lectures and performances.
The Symposium was an opportunity to showcase
what city partners are doing to foster design and
apply design solutions in a range of economic, social
and cultural contexts.
The Symposium took place in one of the
worlds leading emerging centres of design, recently
designated as a UNESCO City of Design and home
to a huge array of design activity from product,
to service, to graphic design as well as a globally
significant site of modern architecture and urban
design.
The World Cities Culture Forum Shanghai
Symposium was funded and co-hosted by Shanghai
Municipal Government, Jingan District government
and Shanghai Theatre Academy. The Symposium
was organised by Metropolitan Cultural Audit Centre
(MCAC) STA, BOP Consulting, Shanghai Jing Gong
Group, on behalf of the World Cities Culture Forum.
More information can be found about the Shanghai
Symposium on its associated website (Chinese only):
www.shcci.cn/node749718/whlt/index.html
We would like to thank the following for
participating and speaking at the 2013 World Cities
Culture Forum Shanghai Symposium:
246

Beijing
Zhang XiaoMing, Director, Research Center for
Cultural Policy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Prof. Hardy XIANG, Vice President, School of Arts,
Peking University
Hong Kong
Aric Chen, Curator of Design and Architecture,
M+ Museum
Conor Roche, Director and Co-founder, Fieldwork.info
Istanbul
Deniz Ova, Director, Istanbul Design Biennial
London
Sir John Sorrell, Founder and Director, London Design
Festival, Chairman of University of the Arts London
John Howkins, Visiting Professor, Shanghai Theatre
Academy & BOP Associate
Eleanor Fawcett, Head of Design, Olympic Park
Legacy Company
Paris
Stephane Simon, Executive Manager, Le Lieu
du Design
Carine Camors, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Odile Soulard, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France

Shanghai
Weng TieHu, Vice Mayor of Shanghai
Wu JianMin, Former Chinese Ambassador in France,
Honorary Chairman, Bureau of International
Expositions
Pan Min, Governor of Shanghai Jingan Municipal
Government
Lou Wei, Chairman of Shanghai Theatre Academy
Prof. Huang ChangYong, Vice-president, Shanghai
Theatre Academy
Wu Ping, Managing Director, Shanghai HKG
Architectural Design & Consulting
Prof. Wu Jiang, Vice President, Tongji University
Weiqi Qi, Vice Director, Urban Development Planning
Branch, Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning & Design
Institute
Alexander Fabian Brandt, Creative Director, Shanghai
Feilifeiqu Multimedia Co. Ltd.
Rainer Wessler, Creative Director, Frog Design
Yi Zhou, Managing Director, Shanghai S-Point Design
Marina Guo, Shanghai Theatre Academy

World Cities Culture Forum Management Team

Paul Owens, Managing Director, BOP Consulting;
Director, World Cities Culture Forum
Matthieu Prin, Project Manager, World Cities
Culture Forum

Sydney
Cynthia MacNee, Operation Director, QUT Creative
Enterprise Australia
Sherman Francis Young, Associate Dean, Learning
and Teaching, Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University
Susie Khamis, Lecturer, Macquarie University

New York
Thomas Vecchione, Principal, Gensler U.S.A.

247

World Cities Culture Summit Istanbul 2013

The New Cultural Agenda: how can world city

leaders unleash the full potential of culture?
The second World Cities Culture Summit was held
in Istanbul 1315th November 2013. The event was
hosted by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of
Culture and Tourism. The Istanbul Summit was
curated by BOP Consulting, working closely with
the 2013 chair of the World Cities Culture Forum,
Justine Simons, Head of Culture at the Greater
London Authority, and liaising closely with all the
other partner cities. The production and design of
the event was managed by Studio Design UK.
Over a three-day programme, the summit was an
opportunity for old members of the Forum to meet
new city members and to engage in meaningful policy
discussions about cultures role in a world city context.
The summit agenda was designed to address the
following three overall questions:

What can we learn from each other about effective

future strategies for promoting culture in our
World Cities?
How can we extend the influence of culture still
further in the world city urban agenda?
How can we work together to continue to
demonstrate the value and impact of culture?
The summit sessions were organised around four key
themes. These themes reflected the common
challenges and opportunities that all participating
world cities face in attempting to harness the potential
of culture. They had emerged from the research
around the World Cities Culture Report itself as well
as the discussions BOP Consulting had had with
individual cities in preparation for the Summit.
248

The themes were:

Promotion and positioning on the world stage:
approaches to promotion, branding and attracting
inward investment
The new cultural infrastructure: how world cities
are expanding and upgrading their cultural offer
Participation and supporting creative expression:
policies and programmes that open up
opportunities for all citizens
Embedding culture across public services: including
employment, economic development, social
integration and environmental protection
We would like to thank the following for participating
and speaking at the World Cities Culture Summit
Istanbul 2013:
Amsterdam
Max van Engen, Head of Culture, City of Amsterdam
Araf Ahmadali, Policy Officer, Arts and Culture office,
City of Amsterdam
Berlin
Hans-Georg Knopp, Senior Research Fellow,
Hertie School of Governance, Berlin
Beijing
Hui Wang, Secretary General, Beijing Association
for Cultural Exchanges
Fangming Qiu, Director, Beijing Association
for Cultural Exchanges
Yingying Bu, Beijing Association for Cultural
Exchanges

Bogot
Clarisa Ruiz Correal, Secretary of Culture,
Leisure and Sport Department, City of Bogot
Jorge Mario Diaz, Vice President of Governance,
Chamber of Commerce, City of Bogot
Buenos Aires
Miguel Gutirrez, Secretary of Tourism, City of
Buenos Aires
Sofa Castro, Consultant to the Minister of Culture,
City of Buenos Aires
Hong Kong
Elizabeth Tai, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs
(West Kowloon Cultural District), Government
of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Linus Fung, Chief Manager (Urban/Cultural Services),
Leisure and Cultural Services Department,
Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region
Drew Lai, Deputy Representative, Hong Kong
Economic and Trade Office, Brussels
Istanbul
mer elik, Minister of Culture, Turkey
Huseyin Avni Mutlu, Istanbul Governor
Prof. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Director, Istanbul Provincial
Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Esma Firuze Kyk, Assistant Expert of Culture &
Tourism, Istanbul Office of the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism
Nazan ler, Director, Sakp Sabanc Museum
Iskender Pala, Author
Grgn Taner, Director, Istanbul Foundation
for Culture and Arts (KSV)
Prof. Hasan Bulent Kahraman, Vice President,
Kadir Has University

Johannesburg
Joseph Gaylard, Director of Visual Arts
Network of South Africa, Johannesburg office
London
Justine Simons, Head of Culture, Greater
London Authority
Jackie McNerney, Culture Strategy Manager,
Greater London Authority
Ben McKnight, Senior Press Officer, Greater
London Authority
Andy Pratt, Professor of Cultural Economy,
City University London
Tom Campbell, BOP Associate
Alan Freeman, Visiting Professor at London
Metropolitan University; Former GLA Principal
Economist
Los Angeles
Laura Zucker, Executive Director, Los Angeles
County Arts Commission
Jessica Cusick, Cultural Affairs Manager, City of
Santa Monica Cultural Affairs
Keith McNutt, Stanton Fellow, Durfee Foundation
Montral
Jean-Robert Choquet, Director, Direction de la
culture et du patrimoine, Ville de Montral
Nathalie Maill, Executive Director, Conseil des
Arts de Montral

249

New York
Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, Department of
Cultural Affairs, New York City
Danai Pointer, Director of External Affairs,
Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City
Paris
Rachel Khan, Cultural Counsellor of the Governor
of Paris Ile-de-France region
Carine Camors, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Odile Soulard, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Rio de Janeiro
Srgio S Leito, Secretary of Culture, Municipality
of Rio de Janeiro and CEO, RioFilme
Danielle Barreto Nigromonte, Undersecretary of
Culture, Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Seoul
Hae-Bo Kim, Head, Department of Policy
Research & Development, Seoul Foundation for
Arts and Culture
Chung il Choi, Senior Administrator, Cultural Policy
Team, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Hyunju Park, Cultural Alliance & Marketing Team,
Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture
Jin-Hwan Kim, Researcher, R&D Team, Seoul
Foundation for Arts and Culture

Singapore
Chee Yan Yeoh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry
of Culture, Community and Youth
Alvin Tan, Group Director (Policy), National Heritage
Board
Ju Li Yeow, Deputy Director (Art)/Arts and Heritage
Division, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
Tokyo
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Chairman, Specialist Committe
for Cultural Policy, Tokyo Council for the Arts; Director
of Arts and Cultural Projects, NLI Research Institute
Kazuhiko Suzuki, Program Officer, Planning Office
for Arts Council Tokyo
Toronto
Lori Martin, Senior Cultural Affairs Officer, Cultural
Services, City of Toronto
Tim Jones, President, Artscape
World Cities Culture Forum Management Team
Paul Owens, Managing Director, BOP Consulting;
Director, World Cities Culture Forum
Matthieu Prin, Project Manager, World Cities Culture
Forum
Richard Naylor, Director, Research, BOP Consulting
Tom Campbell, BOP Associate
Cecilia Dinardi, Researcher, World Cities Culture Forum
Ulrike Chouguley, Senior Consultant, BOP Consulting

Shanghai
Prof. Changyong Huang, Vice President, Shanghai
Theatre Academy

250

251

2014

World Cities Culture Summit Amsterdam 2014

The third World Cities Culture Summit was held in

Amsterdam 12-14th November 2014. The event was
hosted by the City of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam
Summit was curated by BOP Consulting, working
closely with the City of Amsterdam and the chair of
the World Cities Culture Forum, Justine Simons, Head
of Culture at the Greater London Authority, and
liaising closely with all the other partner cities.
The themes of the summit were:
Branding and Promotion
Urban development, renewal and transformation
Talent, Enterprise and Innovation
We would like to thank the following for participating
and speaking at the World Cities Culture Summit
Amsterdam 2014:
Amsterdam
Kajsa Ollongren, Deputy Mayor for Arts & Culture and
Economic Affairs, City of Amsterdam
Max van Engen, Director of the Department of
Housing, City of Amsterdam
Olga Leijten, Director of the Department of Arts &
Culture, City of Amsterdam
Araf Ahmadali, Policy advisor for Arts and Culture,
City of Amsterdam

252

Forum delegates at Amsterdam 2014 World Cities Culture Summit

Barcelona
Esteve Carams, Strategic Policy Advisor, Barcelona
City Culture Department
Josep Llus Alay, Director for Heritage, Museums and
Archives at Barcelona City Culture Department
Sandra Jabalquinto, International Relations Office,
Barcelona City Council
Beijing
Fangming Qiu, Director, Beijing Association for
Cultural Exchanges
Wei Meng, Beijing Association for Cultural Exchanges
Bogot
Clarisa Ruiz Correal, Secretary of Culture, Leisure
and Sport Department, City of Bogot
Buenos Aires
Hernn Lombardi, Minister of Culture,
City of Buenos Aires
Miguel Gutirrez, Secretary of Tourism,
City of Buenos Aires
Hong Kong
Yuet-wah Wong, Principal Assistant Secretary for
Home Affairs (Culture), Government of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region
Elaine Yeung, Chief Manager (Audience Building,
Festivals & Entertainment), Leisure and Cultural
Services Department, Government of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region

253

Istanbul
Prof. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, Director, Istanbul Provincial
Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Esma Firuze Kyk, Assistant Expert of Culture &
Tourism, Istanbul Office of the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism
London
Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor for Culture and
Education, Mayor of London's Office
Justine Simons, Head of Culture, Mayor of London's
Office
Jackie McNerney, Culture Strategy Manager, Mayor of
London's Office
Chenine Bhathena, Senior Cultural Strategy Officer,
Mayor of London's Office
Ben McKnight, Senior Press Officer, Mayor of
London's Office
Los Angeles
Danielle Brazell, Executive Director, City of Los
Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)
Laura Zucker, Executive Director, Los Angeles County
Arts Commission
Sofia Klatzker, Director of Grants and Professional
Development, Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Madrid
Jos Francisco Garcia Lopez, Director General of
Cultural Heritage and Urban Landscape Quality,
Madrid City Council
Carlota lvarez Basso, Director, Matadero Madrid
Montral
Jean-Robert Choquet, Director, Direction de la culture
et du patrimoine, Ville de Montral
Pierre Fortin, Executive Director, Quartier des
spectacles Partnership
254

Moscow
Natalia Fishman, Advisor to the Head of the Moscow
Department of Culture, Moscow City Government
Maria Privalova, Program Director, International
Moscow Culture Forum
Alina Bogatkova, Executive Director, Moscow Institute
for Social and Cultural Programs
New York
Tom Finkelpearl, Commissioner, Department of
Cultural Affairs, New York City
Ryan Max, Director of External Affairs, Department
of Cultural Affairs, New York City
Kate D. Levin, Advisor, World Cities Culture Forum and
Principal, Bloomberg Associates (New York, NY)
Danai Pointer, Bloomberg Associates partner
Paris
Rachel Khan, Cultural Counsellor of the Governor
of Paris Ile-de-France region
Carine Camors, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Odile Soulard, Urban Economist, IAU Ile-de-France
Rio de Janeiro
Srgio S Leito, Secretary of Culture/CEO of
RioFilme, Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Danielle Barreto Nigromonte, Undersecretary of
Culture, Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
Seoul
Cheol-hyoung Lee, Team Head of Cultural Policy
Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Chung il Choi, Senior Administrator, Cultural Policy
Team, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Hae-Bo Kim, Head, Department of Policy Research,
Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

Shanghai
Lu Shen, Deputy Director, Shanghai Social and
Cultural Administration, Shanghai Municipal
Government
Na Liu, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal
Administration of Culture, Radio, Film & TV Policy
Laws & Regulations Division
Prof. Changyong Huang, Vice President, Shanghai
Theatre Academy
Meijun Guo, Vice Director, John Howkins Research
Centre on Creative Economy, Shanghai Theatre
Academy
Shenzhen
Dr. Wangxi Han, Deputy-director of Shenzhen
Association for International Culture Exchanges
Prof. Fengliang Li, Vice President of Shenzhen
University (SZU); Dean of Institute for Cultural
Industries, SZU
Dr. Rong Zhao, Senior Staff, Shenzhen Association for
International Culture Exchanges Publicity Office, the
Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal
Committee of CPC
Dr. Wen Wen, Director of Department of Project
Development, Institute for Cultural Industries, SZU

Tokyo
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Chairman, Specialist Committe for
Cultural Policy, Tokyo Council for the Arts; Director of Arts
and Cultural Projects, NLI Research Institute
Yuko Ishiwata, Program Director, Arts Council Tokyo
Kazuhiko Suzuki, Program Officer, Planning Office for Arts
Council Tokyo

Toronto
Lori Martin, Senior Cultural Affairs Officer, Cultural
Services, City of Toronto
David Stonehouse, Director, Waterfront Secretariat,
City of Toronto

World Cities Culture Forum Management Team:

Paul Owens, Managing Director, BOP Consulting;
Director, World Cities Culture Forum
Matthieu Prin, Project Manager, World Cities
Culture Forum
Yvonne Lo, Coordinator, World Cities Culture Forum;
Researcher, BOP Consulting
Richard Naylor, Director, Research, BOP Consulting
Tom Campbell, BOP Associate
Ulrike Chouguley, Senior Consultant, BOP Consulting

Singapore
Sharon Chang, Deputy Director, Research Unit,
Singapore National Arts Council
Natasha Mano, Manager, Arts & Heritage Division,
Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
Stockholm
Patrik Liljegren, Manager, Department of Culture
Strategy, City of Stockholm
Mats Sylwan, Senior advisor, Department of Culture
Strategy, City of Stockholm
255

Appendix 3:
List of policy questions

1. What are the key agencies involved in your citys

cultural policymaking (government at different
territorial levels, other public sector bodies,
economic development agencies, private
organisations, etc.)
[Please list the most important players within your
city and briefly explain their roles. 200 words max.]
2. In order of priority, what are the main drivers of
your citys cultural policy? And are these priorities
reflected in your countrys national policy?
Value of cultural participation
Heritage
Tourism
Economic development
Social development
Diplomacy/cultural exchange
City marketing
Nation-building
Other (please specify)
[Please rank the above items in order of priority.
Please also provide a brief commentary to explain
your priorities. 500 words max.]
3. What are the key developments within the cultural
sector in your city that are taking place now or
are planned for the near future? This could be
in terms of:
cultural infrastructure (includes both buildings
and institutions)
festival/events programmes
support programmes for cultural workforce
other
[Please provide a brief description of the
key developments for the areas listed above
(if relevant) or any others. 200 words max.]

256

4. Are there any major initiatives or events

(e.g. Olympic Games, Expo, UNESCO designation,
European Capital of Culture designation etc) in
your city that take place now or in the near future?
If yes, why do you think these will impact on the
overall cultural offer and participation in your city?
[Please provide a brief commentary. 200 words
max.]
5. What role do informal, fringe activities play
within your citys cultural life? (e.g. photo
exhibitions in cafes). And how important do you
consider this contribution made by this fringe
economy compared to the formal cultural sector?
[Please provide a brief commentary and a list of
examples of the kind of informal, fringe activities
that are particularly important in your city.
500 words max.]
6. How are you securing the long-term, sustainable
development of the cultural sector?
[Please provide a brief commentary on the key
areas that you focus on or which need support
in terms of developing a more sustainable cultural
sector. 500 words max.]
7. What do you consider as the key cultural assets
of your city? (Assets does not exclusively refer
to cultural infrastructure, but could equally include
workforce, sub-sectors, structures, organisations,
processes)
[Please provide a brief commentary. 300 words
max.]

257

8. What are the key challenges to developing

your citys cultural assets? (economic, social,
organisational/governmental, political)
[Please provide a brief commentary.
500 words max.]
9. What do you consider as unique to your citys
cultural offer?
[Please provide us with one key feature that you
consider unique and provide a brief explanation for
your choice. This could refer to a particular event or
initiative, or another element of cultural life/sector.
200 words max.]

The World Cities Culture Report 2014 is a major

new global initiative on culture and the future of
cities, which was initiated by the Mayor of London
and the Greater London Authority.

The report has been produced in collaboration

with our project partners:

This report has been prepared by

BOP Consulting (www.bop.co.uk):
Paul Owens
Chris Gibbon
Matthieu Prin
Ulrike Chouguley
Richard Naylor
Cecilia Dinardi
Yan Woon Yvonne Lo
Lucy Minyo
Jocelyn Bailey
In collaboration with:
Prof. Andy Pratt (Kings College London)
Prof. Kate Oakley (University of Leeds)
This report has also benefited from the invaluable
support of our project advisors:
Alan Freeman (London Metropolitan University)
Prof. Changyong Huang (Shanghai Theatre Academy)
Dave Adam (Global Cities)
John Howkins
BOP would like to thank the British Council,
particularly the local offices in the partner cities,
for their advice and support

MAYOR OF LONDON
Mayor of London
258

Designed by Fraser Muggeridge studio

ISBN: 978-1-84781-515-6

259

Turkish

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260

261

Amsterdam
Berlin
Bogot
Buenos Aires
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Johannesburg
London
Los Angeles
Madrid
Montral
Moscow
262

Mumbai
New York
Paris
Rio de Janeiro
So Paulo
Seoul
Shanghai
Singapore
Stockholm
Sydney
Tokyo
Toronto